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Former West Brom loanee Mbaye Diagne would “tear it up” in the Championship, claims Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Diagne spent the second half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns after Sam Allardyce decided he wanted to bring in another striker to aid the Baggies in their quest to avoid the drop.

In the end, however, Diagne was unable to help them do that. During that short spell with the club, the 29-year-old was far from prolific.

In 16 Premier League appearances, he scored just three goals, though two of those came against Manchester United and Chelsea.

At Championship level, though, Hatfield is backing Diagne, believing he could do a job for West Brom if he returned to the Midlands outfit.

“I think in the Championship he’d be a great striker,” Hatfield told FFC. “I think he’d really do well at Championship level. He’d probably tear it up to be honest with you.

“Whether he fits in Valerien Ismael’s style of play, they want to play a very high press, would he suit that? I’m not too sure, but I think fans would love to see him back.”

Diagne did have some good moments last season, such as the goal he created in West Brom’s impressive 3-0 win against Southampton, with Don Goodman describing his assist as “magnificent”. Perhaps he could offer a big threat in the second tier of English football.

Rafael Benitez is reportedly back in line for the Everton managerial vacancy, according to talkSPORT.

Initially, Nuno Espirito Santo looked likely to take the position in the Goodison Park dugout, after advanced talks with the Merseyside outfit last week [Guardian].

However, suggestions today have signified that Everton are still in talks with multiple candidates for the role as they look to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who departed for Real Madrid earlier this month [Liverpool Echo].

Though the Blues have been linked with former head coach David Moyes, alongside ex-Lille boss Christophe Galtier, it is Benitez who is deemed to be under serious consideration from owner Farhad Moshiri [talkSPORT].

Known partly for his successful spell at arch-rivals Liverpool, appointing the Spaniard would divide opinion amongst the Everton support to say the least – no wonder so many Toffees diehards took to Twitter to vent their feelings upon hearing about this latest development.

Everton fans react:

Flocking to Twitter, here is what some of the Goodison Park faithful had to say about the update from talkSPORT:

“There is no way on gods earth that this man can be an Everton manager. No way!”

Credit: @cjmarston”Should of went all out for moyes”Credit: @DayOwens84″You couldn’t script this could you!”Credit: @AlexOBr82171506″Both negative managers… we need fast paced, aggressive football… these managers are outdated with this era of football”Credit: @Kyle1978MMA”our board ect couldnt pick a nose full of bogies lol”Credit: @ScarletzCaptain”Nope”Credit: @ShoeyEFC1234In other news, Everton are interested in a move for a Serie A winner.

Ex-Leeds United hero Noel Whelan has tipped Rodrigo to shine in a No.10 role next season, dropping deeper but still scoring plenty of goals.

The Lowdown: Signs of life from record signing Rodrigo

The Spaniard arrived for £27million from Valencia last summer, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.

Rodrigo has endured a difficult first season at Elland Road, partly due to injuries, but he finished the campaign well, scoring four times in as many games at the end.

The Latest: Whelan talks up role change

Although Rodrigo has often been used as a No.9 by Marcelo Bielsa, someone who believes who could thrive more in a deeper role is Whelan.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Leeds striker tipped him to be hugely effective in that position, putting his all-round game to good use:

“There are a lot of different aspects to his game. We saw that against Southampton with that pass over the top to Bamford. That was very much a number 10 type of pass.

“That’s the kind of brilliance you expect to see from your number 10. But then you see the goals he scored at Burnley, a natural finish after a great first touch.

“Then again yesterday, he was in the right place at the right time. He had that hunger and instinct to get in the box and on the end of a cross.

“There is a possibility that he could play a number nine role, yeah. But I think with [Pablo] Hernandez going, that number 10 role is his.

“He could still get into double figures from that position, easy. Even when he has an interview he says he’s a number 10 rather than a number nine.

“He’s very good at finding pockets of space and linking up play. He does have that forward-thinking attitude and instinct where he wants to get into the box. But he’s got too much intelligence just to be a number nine.”

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The Verdict: Big things next season?

There is no denying that Rodrigo’s first year at Leeds has been disappointing, but these last few weeks have shown the quality he possesses.

Using him as a No.10 could be a shrewd move by Bielsa, allowing him to dovetail with Patrick Bamford and wreak havoc with both his creativity and eye for goal, having averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the Premier League.

It is hard to envisage anyone ousting Bamford as the main striker for the time being, so this change in role could also guarantee Rodrigo more regular playing time.

In other news, one Leeds player has been named in a pundit’s Team of the Season. Find out who it is here.

It seems that Tottenham Hotspur have finally got their man…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold at football.london, former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is “looking likely” to become the next manager of Spurs following talks with the club.

It’s claimed that the North Londoners pushed hard to bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club from Paris Saint-Germain but the Ligue 1 giants did not want to lose him, and the 51-year-old was an appealing candidate following his departure from Inter Milan.

Speaking on Twitter on Wednesday evening, the reporter wrote:

“Now looking likely that Antonio Conte will become the next Tottenham boss. Spurs pushed hard to try to bring Mauricio Pochettino back but PSG have fought hard to keep him.

“Conte is one of the top managers in the world and it’s going to be fascinating to see how he will fit into a very different environment at Spurs than he’s previously had elsewhere.

“Conte suddenly becoming a free agent made him a very attractive prospect for Levy, but if he puts pen to paper as expected it’ll be intriguing to see how the two men gel, whether he fits that Levy DNA statement and whether he can settle at Spurs for longer than elsewhere.”

A new era?

It has been nearly seven weeks since Jose Mourinho was sacked from the club, so this news should be rather exciting for many in N17 as it appears that they have finally got their next manager – and not to mention Conte’s successful coaching career.

The Italian has not only cleaned up the Special One’s mess before at Chelsea but across four different clubs, he has amassed nine major trophies, including a Premier League title and an FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.

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Mourinho left the Blues just before they recorded their worst-ever finish since 1996 and in the very next season, Conte delivered the title before earning his second piece of silverware a season later.

His latest success was steering Inter Milan to their first Serie A triumph in 11 years – a familiar situation to the one at Spurs, as they are without a trophy since 2008, so that should only encourage the Lilywhites faithful even more.

Conte has been likened to Sir Alex Ferguson in the past, whilst during his time in England, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola dubbed him a “tactical master” and suggested that he would leave his mark on the English game.

After leaving his post at the San Siro, plenty of supporters were quick to jump on the bandwagon of Spurs potentially appointing the 51-year-old.

As relayed by This is Futbol, one fan claimed it was the “best possible appointment”, whilst another pleaded for it to be true, with a further member of the Tottenham fanbase suggesting he is “what every Spurs fan should want.”

Well, as per Gold, it certainly seems like Conte will be in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season, barring any late developments, so these Spurs fans and many more should be buzzing with the news.

The North London giants are certainly about to embark on an exciting new era, and the sooner the Italian is in place, the sooner they can crack on with plans to get this club back on the right path.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges on Harry Kane’s future at Spurs, it’ll leave Daniel Levy seething…

Former Reading midfielder Lawrie Sanchez urged Michael Olise to reject interest from Leeds, and other clubs, to stay in the Championship this week

With Olise possessing an £8m release clause in his Royals contract, Sanchez expects teams to pay it, including Leeds.

“I read somewhere there’s an £8m release clause – I’m sure clubs will offer that this year for him I’ve no doubt.

“For me another year at Reading wouldn’t do him any harm – they almost got into the play-offs this year and it helped him develop and another year’s development isn’t a bad thing,” he said.

Described as a “super-talented” midfielder by Reading boss Veljko Paunovic in 2020, the boss iterated a similar trail of thought to Sanchez, suggesting he still needs to develop and continue to learn as a player. He told Four Four Two:

“Michael is super talented. He had a very good game.

“We acknowledge Michael’s talent but he also has to keep learning. He still needs to grow. He still has things that he can implement in the future and be an even better player.

“This is why I encourage him not to get content with what he is right now but to go on and show what he can be.”

Despite his need to improve as a footballer, Leeds fans would be buzzing if Victor Orta is able to secure a deal for Olise this summer. The midfielder is a superb young talent and could add an extra dimension to Leeds’ attacking options in the final third.

He could give Marcelo Bielsa another left-footed attacker to work with, whilst Olise has the versatility to play anywhere across the frontline. That could allow Bielsa to tinker with his formation in-game to exploit teams. This is why Orta must sanction a swoop for the promising prospect.

Olise has played on both wings, as an attacking midfielder, as a striker and as a central midfielder for Reading in the Championship. This shows that the teenager has the quality to fulfil a multitude of roles within a side, an outstanding quality.

it doesn’t restrict him to being a one-trick pony who can only be used – for example – as a right winger. If Leeds suffer an injury in any position across the attack, Bielsa could trust that Olise has the ability to come in and replace them.

The £8m dynamo has also shown that he has the quality in terms of performances to potentially make the step up to the Premier League.

The gem averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.06 for Reading, as he produced seven goals and 12 assists from midfield. This earned him the Championship Young Player of the Year award, which suggests he has the potential to improve further.

Bielsa could enjoy working with the forward on the training pitch to develop his game, something he’s done with a plethora of Leeds players, the best example being Kalvin Phillips. Therefore, fans would be delighted if Orta can get this deal over the line as Olise could be a great player for the future.

AND in other news, Concerning Leeds transfer update emerges on “magic” £24k-p/w gem, Orta will be gutted…

Crystal Palace are interested in appointing Rafael Benitez as Roy Hodgson’s successor at Selhurst Park, and the south London outfit should do all they can to persuade the Spaniard to take charge.

Hodgson announced his imminent exit from the Eagles dugout earlier in the week after four successful seasons with the capital club, and who Steve Parish picks to replace the former England boss is guaranteed to have a huge impact over their immediate prospects.

The former England boss guided Palace to Premier League safety with ease throughout his tenure, finishing as high as 11th in 2017/18, but there was a growing feeling that the 73-year-old had taken them as far as he could.

Now that Hodgson’s departure has been confirmed, talk has turned to who could possibly take over the reins, with several big names such as Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker linked with the soon-to-be-vacant role.

However, according to the Daily Record, the Palace hierarchy are also keen to explore the possibility of appointing Benitez as the ex-Real Madrid, Inter and Chelsea boss looks for his next management position.

The 61-year-old Spanish manager made history by ending Valencia’s 31-year wait for a La Liga crown back in 2002 and arguably went one better three years later, guiding Liverpool to the most dramatic Champions League victory in the competition’s history in Istanbul.

With all due respect to Palace, it’s not often that a club of their stature has the opportunity to appoint a head coach of Benitez’s calibre and quality, and it would be a masterstroke if Parish could pull this off.

It’s set to be a turbulent summer at Selhurst Park, with over a dozen players approaching the end of their current contracts, meaning an experienced head is more suited to the job a hand. And Parish admitted the task of finding the right man to replace Hodgson is a daunting one.

“I don’t think we should underestimate the size of the challenge. We can see with teams that have been promoted already, we have a quality league next year, but equally, it is a fantastic opportunity for somebody.

“This is a London club, and it is an exciting time to be around it, the academy is developing, and the catchment area for talent we know is outstanding. The staff are amazing, and we have now pursued plans for a new main stand with vigour through this difficult time,” he added in an interview with Sky Sports.

“It’s daunting, but we have been through this before. We are in better shape than ever before as a club to make this transition, that isn’t to say it doesn’t come with pitfalls and dangers.”

Hiring a young, forward-thinking boss who plays attractive football may please many Palace fans and football romantics, but in reality, now may not bethe time for that in south London. The Eagles are approaching a crossroads, and with so much upheaval in the playing squad set to occur over the summer, they need an experienced leader to guide them through.

Benitez has won 12 major honors throughout his managerial career, and steering Palace successfully through this transitional period would be another significant success story.

And, in other news…Parish masterclass: Palace must swoop for 19-goal gem dubbed the new Thierry Henry – opinion

Many Southampton fans have been left to buzz at an injury update on Oriol Romeu as the club tweeted that he is stepping up his recovery and is out on the training pitches.

The defensive midfielder has not played for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team since February, and has missed their last nine games in total over all competitions.

In those matches, the Saints have only managed to win three of those, losing the other six (Transfermarkt), highlighting just how much they miss him holding down the spine of the team.

Romeu has been a rock in the middle of the park in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term, winning no fewer than 6.8 of his duels a game, while also averaging 3.4 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match (Sofascore).

It is clear that Southampton miss the 29-year-old, and will be hoping that he can still play a part this season after stepping up his recovery.

Southampton fans on Romeu injury update

These Saints supporters buzzed as the update on Romeu’s recovery was shared on Twitter:

“This makes me so happy! We are really missing him”

Credit: @ChelleBradbury

“Thank god”

Credit: @nicksfc73

“Romeu! Omg we miss you! Keep going king!”

Credit: @DWTheDoctor

“The prodigal son returns finally.”

Credit: @trickysjoyboy

“So good to see you back Oriol!”

Credit: @Gion_Swiss

“Can’t wait to see you back in charge of the midfield Oriol”

Credit: @mawnansmith

In other news, find out who has been claimed will never leave Southampton here!

The takeover of Derby County is not currently a priority for Wayne Rooney’s side.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who, in a post on Twitter, claimed that Erik Alonso’s proposed takeover of Derby is not currently a priority for the club, as the Rams face a relegation showdown on the final day of the season.

In response to a fan requesting an update on the takeover, as well as Derby’s plans for recruitment in the summer, Nixon said: “Both are not priorities right now.”

No news is good news

Indeed, the proposed purchase of Derby County by Alonso’s No Limits Sports Limited company, which is currently awaiting the English Football League’s Owners and Directors Test approval, is not likely to be the first thought of many Derby fans at present, as the club faces the most important fixture of their season on Saturday.

Having failed to secure a point over their last six league fixtures, Wayne Rooney’s side must now ensure that they beat Sheffield Wednesday this weekend to avoid being relegated to the third tier of English football.

If they only manage a draw with the Owls, then the club must hope that Rotherham United do not defeat Cardiff City, while a loss to Wednesday would result in relegation regardless of how that other game pans out.

Nixon’s update on the Rams’ potential takeover could actually be viewed as good news for fans of the club, as the announcement of, or news regarding, the takeover prior to the weekend’s game could prove to be something of a distraction for Wayne Rooney and his players, so no news is good news in this regard too.

Plus, Alonso himself already appears to be fully invested in the club, as the Spaniard recently took to Twitter, stating, “Just one more victory!” along with a waving hand emoji and the hashtag “DCFC” – something which would seem to indicate that the businessman has his heart set on the purchase of the club.

And, if the club do go on to secure their Championship survival this Saturday, as well as Alonso’s takeover deal receiving approval from the EFL shortly afterwards, things will immediately start to look a lot brighter at Pride Park.

However, it’s great to see that everyone at Pride Park is not worrying about any takeover for now, and instead, all focus is on staying up and that is something that Derby fans will undoubtedly be buzzing about.

In other news: Rooney must avoid Derby swoop for 29 y/o flop who “plays like he’s on roller-skates” – opinion

Southampton travel to the London Stadium on Sunday to face West Ham in the final game of the Premier League season.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side can still finish as high as 12th should they earn the three points against the Hammers, although David Moyes’ side will be desperate to avoid defeat, as they can secure Europa League football for next season with a point.

Therefore, there is plenty at stake for the hosts, but Southampton will be out to spoil the party on Sunday afternoon, although they will have to do so without Che Adams, who has been ruled out of the game through injury.

After a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Leeds United on Tuesday changes, seem likely for Southampton, although a strong starting eleven is still likely to be named.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up on Sunday, with five changes to the team that started in the defeat against Marcelo Bielsa’s side…

Alex McCarthy certainly should have done better for Leeds’ opening goal in midweek so he drops to the bench, with Fraser Forster replacing him in between the sticks.

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There’s one change in defence, as after returning to the bench in midweek, Jan Bednarek replaces Jack Stephens at centre-back, and is partnered by Jannik Vestergaard.

There are two changes in midfield, as Nathan Redmond comes in for Moussa Djenepo on the left after another poor display from the Mali international, whilst Stuart Armstrong moves out to the right-wing to accommodate the return of Oriol Romeu in the middle, with Theo Walcott dropping to the bench.

Finally, with Adams sidelined, the “outstanding” Danny Ings seems likely to partner Nathan Tella in attack, after he was left on the bench for the first 45 minutes against Leeds in midweek.

And, in other news… Southampton can finally sign their Hojbjerg heir in £8.6m beast who dreams of playing in the PL

Some Liverpool fans have been sticking up for Naby Keita following his early substitution in midweek.

The Reds were wretched on Tuesday evening, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, ahead of next week’s second leg at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s men were disappointing throughout the night in Spain, but their first half showing was particularly bad, with the team seemingly incapable of stringing few passes together and being completely outplayed by the home side.

Someone who struggled more than most was Keita, who played a negative role in Liverpool losing the midfield battle prior to being hooked before half-time.

It was a moment which again clouded the Guinean’s future, with the 26-year-old constantly finding himself struggling to get going at Anfield.

Speaking in his pre-Aston Villa press conference on Friday, however (via quotes shared by James Pearce on Twitter), Klopp played down the incident, saying there is no issue between him and Keita.

Liverpool fans show faith in Keita

Here’s how some Liverpool supporters reacted on Twitter to Klopp’s defence of Keita as they too stuck up for the midfielder and showed faith in him.

“So he’s not finished then? I was told by Twitter he’d never kick a ball for us again?”

Credit: @JohnMcMah0n

“I don’t understand why people are cancelling Keita, He is a baller bro! Just injury prone. Literally like Matip, he is great defender just injuries mess him up”

Credit: @Gabriel_Onas

“Start him vs Villa…”

Credit: @NoDarkSarkasm

“Don’t be surprised if Naby starts tomorrow and Gini or Thiago are rested”

Credit: @bigjlfc

“Good, don’t do it again Jurgen”

Credit: @dongeo80sbaby

“Think we will see the best of Naby next season”

Credit: @JohnnyfField

“Mugged him off completely…”

Credit: @F9Txrres

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with another move for an exciting young European player. Find out who it is here.