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Aston Villa attempted to sign Aaron Hickey from Bologna during the summer transfer window, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Hickey joined Bologna from Scottish Premiership side Hearts in September 2020 for a fee of £1.5million.

The Serie A outfit beat off competition from German giants Bayern Munich to secure the left-back’s signature.

Hickey has started all seven of Bologna’s Serie A matches so far this season, scoring twice (via WhoScored).

Villa manager Dean Smith currently has Matt Targett and the versatile veteran Ashley Young available in the left-back position.

The latest

The report states that, in the summer, Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers ‘looked for’ 19-year-old Hickey.

But ‘Aston Villa also came forward’, only to find that Bologna viewed him as ‘absolutely not transferable’.

The verdict

Having made a strong start to the campaign, you’d expect Hickey to take the next step in the next year or two.

He could have joined Bayern, but they planned to place him in their second team in the 3. Liga, and in choosing Bologna he prioritised first-team football in one of the top-five leagues.

But he’ll soon outgrow the mid-table outfit and be ready to turn out for a bigger club, no doubt generating a healthy profit for Bologna.

He’s a player who, unlike Young, could compete with and perhaps eventually surpass Targett over the long-term, so this is certainly one to keep an eye on down the line.

In other news, fans flocked to this Louie Barry claim from Ashley Preece. 

Alex McLeish has made a worrying transfer claim on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the talk?

The former Premier League manager has claimed that it would be hard for the Leeds midfielder to turn down Manchester United.

The Red Devils are reportedly interested in a swoop for the England international and McLeish believes that Phillips’ head could be turned.

He told Football Insider:

“It will be tough for him to turn it down, 100%.

“Jack Grealish was a fan of Aston Villa all his life, but he had his head turned by a dominant club like Manchester City.

“It’s the same thing – if United come and go all the way with their interest, it is hard for him to stay.”

Concern

This claim from McLeish will surely leave Leeds fans feeling scared about the midfielder’s future at Elland Road. Whilst supporters will want to believe that Phillips would reject any team to stay at his boyhood club, McLeish makes an excellent point regarding Jack Grealish – who was in a similar position.

The prospect of playing Champions League football and competing for the top trophies year-in-year-out could be a tantalising one for Phillips, which is why his head could be turned by United. This is a concerning thought for the Elland Road faithful as they start to ponder life without the England international in their midfield.

During the European Championships, Italian icon Andrea Pirlo compared Phillips with Jorginho and labeled both of them as being the ‘rock’. He said:

“Both players do such a good job protecting the defence and being that rock in midfield. Often this job can go unnoticed – but I think they have both been recognised this tournament and rightly so.”

The £35k-per-week Leeds beast showcased his quality on one of the biggest stages in football, starting seven games as England reached the final of the Championships. This explains why other teams are taking an interest in his services and why Victor Orta may be a very busy man in the next couple of transfer windows.

Leeds fans will be hoping that Phillips demonstrates his loyalty to the club by rejecting offers to join Champions League teams to help the Lillywhites get to that level themselves. However, until they have weathered the storm and see that he is still a Leeds player, there will surely be concern over his next step.

AND in other news,  Orta must sanction Leeds deal for £42k-p/w “machine”, Bielsa would love him…

Slavisa Jokanovic’s Sheffield United centre-forward Daniel Jebbison is attracting an increasing amount of interest as the summer transfer window draws to a close.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by TEAMtalk, who claim that the likes of Everton, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Brentford are all interested in a deal for the Sheffield United striker, whom Jokanovic has given the green light to depart Bramall Lane on a temporary basis this summer.

The report continues by stating that Everton have gone as far as to make an offer for the 18-year-old, however, the bid believed to be in the region of £5m was knocked back by the Blades – although Rafael Benitez’s side are reported to be returning with an improved offer in the coming days.

Big mistake

While sanctioning the temporary departure of Jebbison this summer is all well and good, if Jokanovic indeed believes the youngster will not feature much for Sheffield United this season – although there is an equally good case against shipping the striker out, too – should the 53-year-old’s willingness to allow the 18-year-old to leave this summer ultimately lead to the club parting with the highly-rated teenager on a permanent basis, it would undoubtedly be a huge mistake on the part of the Serbian.

Indeed, regarding the aforementioned argument against allowing the £900k-rated man to leave the club on loan, considering the fact that Billy Sharp is the only United centre-forward – of which there are currently seven in the first team – to have found the back of the net over the club’s opening four Championship fixtures, it would seem as if Jebbison could well be needed by Jokanovic this season.

Furthermore, the fact that so many Premier League clubs are reported to be interested in the player Micah Richards dubbed a “fantastic” talent would very much appear to suggest that they believe the forward is good enough to play a role in their respective first teams – so exactly why the Sheffield United boss feels differently is something of a mystery.

And, should the manager ultimately be tempted into sanctioning the permanent sale of the England U18 international this summer, it would not seem to be an exaggeration to claim that it would be the biggest mistake of his United career to date, with selling one of the club’s most promising forwards potentially being an unforgivable act by the Serbian, and would undoubtedly leave fans livid.

In other news: Jokanovic could solve big Sheffield United issue with £24k-p/w beast who’s “like a Paul Scholes”

Everton extended their winless run to eight matches after falling to a 4-1 defeat at Goodison Park at the hands of local rivals Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby.

The visitors were in scintillating form in this midweek clash, with captain Jordan Henderson opening the scoring after just nine minutes before Mohamed Salah bagged his 18th goal of the campaign with a wonderfully curled finish.

It seemed as if Jurgen Klopp’s imperious charges would be out of sight by the half-time interval, but the hosts worked their way back into the tie thanks to a well-taken Demarai Gray strike.

However, there was no stopping Liverpool in the second period. Salah ruthlessly capitalised on a Seamus Coleman mistake as Everton were growing in confidence and Diogo Jota made sure of the three points, adding some gloss to the scoreline along the way.

Coleman’s error killed the game as a contest, although in truth, Rafa Benitez’s struggling side never realistically looked like taking anything from the tie.

The Toffees were hampered by several poor performances from key individuals in what was a crucial fixture for both club and manager, with star midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure arguably the most underwhelming.

As per SofaScore, the box-to-box midfielder received a match rating of just 5.9 out of 10, the second-lowest total received by any player on the pitch.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Doucoure was bullied by his counterparts in the engine room, losing ten of his 11 duels, achieving a passing accuracy of just 65% and being dribbled past on three occasions.

He also gave away possession 12 times, failed to make a single tackle and had only 32 touches, nine fewer than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, highlighting his hugely ineffective display.

And the Liverpool ECHO reporter Adam Jones was equally as unimpressed with Doucoure’s showing against the Reds.

“Similarly to his midfield partner, the Frenchman couldn’t get close to his Liverpool counterparts for the majority of the game. His attacking influence was not as effective as Everton needed it to be,” Jones wrote after awarding him a 3 out of 10.

Doucoure has been a standout performer for Everton this season, and the under-fire Benitez would have been hoping for a big performance from the 6-foot maestro.

That was far from the case, though, and the former France U21 international’s dismal display may have been the final nail in the coffin for the Spanish tactician at Everton.

And, in other news…Everton line up “leader of the year” to succeed Benitez, Toffees fans will be ecstatic

Sheffield Wednesday have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Hillsborough this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claimed that, with Birmingham City having secured the loan signing of Wolves goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, the Blues are now no longer pursuing a deal for the Burnley shot-stopper.

A further report by Yorkshire Live claimed that this puts the Owls in a much more favourable position to land the 24-year-old this summer, although Championship side Bournemouth have also been credited with an interest in the Northern Ireland international.

Great news for Wednesday

While Peacock-Farrell’s game-time has been limited so far in his Burnley career, with the ‘keeper having played second fiddle to the likes of Nick Pope and Joe Hart at Turf Moor, there is still plenty to suggest that the 24-year-old would be a fantastic signing for Wednesday this summer.

Indeed, in the season prior to his Burnley move, he made 28 Championship appearances for Leeds, over which the £900k-rated man kept 10 clean sheets, as well as averaging 2.1 saves and conceding just 1.1 goals per game.

These returns saw the man Noel Whelan dubbed a “fantastic” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.76, with his eye-catching performances leading to Sean Dyche splashing out £2.5m in order to purchase the youngster.

Furthermore, with Keiren Westwood having left Hillsborough at the end of last season, and the 36-year-old having been the club’s number one for the last seven years, there is very much a spot to be filled between the sticks at Wednesday.

As such, should the Owls go on to secure a deal for the £18k-per-week man this summer, and he subsequently manages to replicate his form while playing in the second tier with Leeds, it would certainly appear as if Darren Moore will have pulled off a huge coup for the club.

With Birmingham now out of the picture for Peacock-Farrell, it looks as if Wednesday’s chances of landing the 24-year-old have significantly increased, something which should come as great news for the club’s supporters.

In other news: Moore’s reported stance on £5.1k-p/w Sheffield Wednesday flop is the right call

Derby County forward Bobby Duncan is set to remain at the club, following news that his move to Danish side Vejle Boldklub has collapsed [The Athletic via Football League World].

The Lowdown: Derby County’s turbulent start to 2021/22

Enduring a turbulent start to the new campaign, Rams gaffer Wayne Rooney will be praying for some stability in the coming weeks as his side look to start 2021/22 in a positive manner.

Unable to make signings – unless free – so far this summer due to the transfer embargo, the Sky Bet Championship side have not been able to make any additions in the window thus far [Transfermarkt].

Now, the manager has been hit with yet another blow on the other side of things, with an expected departure falling through.

The Latest: Duncan departure called off after breakdown in talks

After opening talks with Velje Boldklub last week, any notion of the deal nearing completion has now been quelled, much to the fury of the Derby County hierarchy [Football League World].

Terms could not be thrashed out to an agreeable deal, meaning the English second tier side have now missed the chance to get around £3,000 per-week off of their wage bill.

The Verdict: Only time will tell with regards to Duncan’s next steps

The news surrounding Duncan presents negative and positive connotations.

On one hand, Derby have struggled with financial irregularities in recent times and moving the former Liverpool youngster on may have helped slightly.

Nevertheless, he may provide some much-needed inspiration to a side in need of fresh ideas in forthcoming months should he get the opportunity.

In 2020/21, he made just one senior appearance for his current employers in an embarrassing 2-0 FA Cup defeat away to non-league Chorley [BBC].

With only two recognised strikers at the club in the form of Colin Kazim-Richards and young starlet Jack Stretton, the Scouser could be given the chance to show the abilities which saw him become a highly sought-after commodity in his youth career.

Moving closer to the start of the Championship campaign, it may be wise for Derby to give Duncan a platform to showcase his abilities – once described as having ‘raw talent’ by his former coach Anthony Barry, can he really be worse than what they’ve got?

In other news, a pundit believes Wayne Rooney should give his ex-teammate a chance at the Rams.

When Rui Patricio turned up at Molineux in 2018, many fans and outsiders may have been surprised to see Portugal’s number one rock up to sign for the newly-promoted Premier League outfit.

However, after Wolves showed their ambition nobody can question his decision to join and become the club’s main man between the sticks, and Wolves legend Steve Bull can’t see why he would want to leave.

Since Nuno Espirito Santo left Wolves, rumours have been strong that Patricio could be linking up with fellow countrymen Jose Mourinho at Roma as he looks for a new number one in the Italian capital.

Patricio has only missed two Premier League matches since he joined in 2018 having also made an impressive 127 appearances across all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets during his time at Molineux.

At 33-years-old, Patricio provides a wealth of experience as well as still being an outstanding goalkeeper and having made a good bond with the fans, Bull struggles to see why he would want to leave and move to Roma, something he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“I think he’s made a good bond with fans so I see no reason why he would want to go unless he goes back to Portugal for the last few years of his career. I can’t see it.”

With talk of Patricio leaving this summer, Wolves are reportedly already working on his replacement and they appear to have identified Jose Sa as their number one target, he’s a Portuguese shot-stopper who is currently plying his trade at Olympiakos.

With the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho also being tipped for exits this summer, there could be a reduction in the number of Portuguese players brought to Molineux, something that was rife under Nuno.

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he doesn’t think Tottenham’s Harry Winks is a Marcelo Bielsa type of player.

According to The Athletic’s Leeds reporter Phil Hay, the Yorkshire giants were offered the opportunity to sign the 25-year-old but turned down the chance to bring him to Elland Road on a loan deal.

Despite coming through the ranks in north London, Winks seemingly has little future under Nuno Espirito Santo if the early weeks of the 2021/22 season are anything to go buy, with him having played just one minute in Spurs’ opening three Premier League matches, including being an unused substitute in the 1-0 win against Watford on Sunday.

He did start the recent Conference League victory over Pacos de Ferreira, but the midfielder’s chances of playing regularly are likely to rely on those ahead of him getting injured or being suspended.

And whilst Leeds are lacking depth in Kalvin Phillips’ position, Palmer doesn’t reckon the £18m-rated Englishman’s attributes would see him fit in at Leeds.

He exclusively told TT:

“I don’t think he’s a Bielsa type player. He likes to play an expansive game from back to front and I don’t think Winks would fit into that style of play. He’s not all over the pitch, nor is he a high-energy player.”

For two long, arduous months, it appeared that Eddie Howe would become the new manager of Celtic.However, we should know by now that, when it comes to the Hoops, things are never done the easy way.The Bhoys had been in advanced talks with the 43-year-old and a deal was already done according to reports, but on Friday, a move collapsed at the 11thÂhour.

What’s the word?

Celtic have wasted no time in assessing their alternatives. Their plan B is to lure Australian boss Ange Postecoglou to Parkhead instead.

The 55-year-old is currently managing in Japan and is believed to be in advanced talks with the Bhoys over moving to Scotland.

Considering that he’s never managed in Europe, it would be a gamble from Dermot Desmond and co to hire him. That being said, it would appear that Celtic have performed their due diligence on the manager.

According to the Daily Record, the Bhoys have been tracking Postecoglou ever since Neil Lennon resigned back in February. The Yokohama F Marinos boss is reportedly very keen on becoming the Hoops’ new manager and Dominic McKay is now treating the matter with great urgency.

A good appointment?

Although Postecoglou has never ventured onto European shores, it’s hard to deny his outstanding qualities.

When he won the Japanese top flight back in 2019, Marinos’ wage budget was one-seventh of the richest team in the division. In Scottish terms, that would be the equivalent of an Aberdeen taking home the Premiership.

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Effective on a shoestring budget, his football is also particularly eye-catching. During the course of the current campaign, his team have registered the most possession of anyone in the division, with a tally of 64.7%.

Celtic are a team used to dominating possession but even the Hoops enjoyed less of the ball than Marinos in 2020/21, averaging 61.9%. Already you can start to work out why Postecoglou is so highly coveted by the Bhoys.

Another impressive aspect is the way he gets his teams to press from the front. Marinos are relentless in the way they hound and hassle the opposition, leading a pressing charge of several players.

Postecoglou seems to thrive on that modern style of football and it has proven incredibly successful for him.

Described as “infectious†by former Everton star Tim Cahill, he has caught the eye of both Pep Guardiola and Raheem Sterling.

Following a match against Manchester City, Guardiola was left impressed, saying: “Yokohama played some incredible football and they were an incredible test for us.”

After a friendly between England and Australia, Sterling echoed his club manager’s thoughts, commenting: “They’re probably one of the best teams I’ve seen play out from the back and they played some great football so it was a great test for us.”

Adept at getting from one pitch to the other with quick passing and relentless pressing, there are huge positives to agreeing a deal with Postecoglou.

It’s a gamble from the Celtic board but, if his brand of football comes off, they should undoubtedly look a more impressive outfit next season, assuming he is handed the reins.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign 49-goal gem who left a “huge impression” on Neil Lennon…

Adam Jones has now shared some Everton injury news involving Ben Godfrey before they play Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Injury pile-on

The 24-year-old was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up in the Toffees’ 2-0 defeat at Liverpool after picking up an injury in the warm-up, meaning that Michael Keane had to step in.

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He now joins the long list of players on the sidelines at Finch Farm, which includes the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andros Townsend and Donny van de Beek, while Richarlison may have also picked up a slight knock against the Reds.

The Latest: Godfrey update

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has now shared an update from Frank Lampard on Godfrey’s situation, claiming that it was ‘bad luck’ that the defender was forced off with a muscle injury.

However, the Everton manager hopes that it is a ‘minor’ issue, saying: “Bad luck, muscle injury. What I have to say is I think Michael Keane comes in 20 minutes before a game against Liverpool, it’s a real compliment to him. We hope it’s minor [for Godfrey].”

The Verdict: Big blow

It is certainly a big blow if Godfrey is to be ruled out for the majority of the season’s run-in. A muscle injury can take weeks to fully heal, while the Toffees only have six matches remaining in the 2021/22 top-flight campaign.

The defender currently ranks highly among his team-mates in terms of tackles, clearances and blocks per match in the Premier League (WhoScored), which suggests that Everton will no doubt need him if they are to have the best possible chance of staying up.

In other news, these were Everton’s three worst performers against Liverpool