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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has suggested that his old side could be hit hard by a potential John Terry exit.

The former Chelsea and England captain, who has been assistant head coach at Villa since 2018, was linked with the Bournemouth job last month and has spoken about his desire to be a No.1 in the past.

It means a Villa Park departure in the near future could be possible, and Hendrie believes such a development could handicap the Villans due to the impact Terry has had on the team’s defence this season.

When asked if Terry leaving the Midlands club would impact Dean Smith’s side, Hendrie told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I think JT’s put his spin on things, hasn’t he? Listen, what JT comes with is bags of experience. You only need to look at the games he’s played in, where he’s played at. You know, he was an outstanding defender. So, yes, he would be missed at the club.”

Speaking on Terry’s influence further, the former Villa player added:

“I’m pretty sure you take him out of the equation, and you haven’t got someone who’s going to give them that guidance. I see JT when I go down to the games and he’s very demanding on that back four and the goalkeeper. I think you’ve got to give JT a lot of credit.”

Terry and the rest of Villa’s coaching staff definitely deserve praise for the team’s defensive improvement this season. At present, the Villans’ have the joint-third best record in the Premier League for goals conceded.

Premier League giants Arsenal are reportedly eyeing up a move for former Aston Villa player Jordan Amavi.

French outlet Le10Sport have released a report about the situation of Amavi, mentioning interest from Arsenal and Italian juggernauts AC Milan.

Amavi could reject Arsenal interest and stay at Marseille

Le10Sport have stated that, while Amavi’s contract at Marseille runs out this summer of, Arsenal are monitoring his situation and the player is being courted in Serie A too. Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan are also cited as one of the interested parties.

The report added that Amavi and Marseille could soon reach an agreement for the left-back to sign a new contract. A new three-year deal could be penned by the defender so that he can continue his adventure at the Stade Velodrome.

That will come as a blow to Milan and Arsenal, who were following the defender’s progress in Ligue 1 recently. The 26-year-old has previously plied his trade with Aston Villa, who sold him to Marseille  in the summer of 2018 after an initial loan deal in France.

This season, Amavi has made 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring once. Andre Villas-Boas, who had managed him at Marseille earlier in the campaign, hailed the Frenchman as “amazing” and spoke highly of his defending, aerial ability and pace.

Signing Amavi could be a good move for Arsenal

Since Amavi’s contract runs out in the summer, he could be available on a free transfer for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side currently have just one out-and-out left-back option in the squad in Kieran Tierney. They loaned out Ainsley-Maitland Niles to West Brom over the winter and that move left them threadbare in the left-back department.

They need depth in that position and Amavi, still just 26, would offer them that. The £9m-rated defender could also offer some re-sale value further down the line, so it seems to make plenty of sense for Arsenal to pursue him.

In other news, Tony Cascarino believes one Arsenal player’s future is sealed – read more here.

There is a feeling that the Netherlands believe Virgil van Dijk could be fit for Euro 2020, alleging that Jurgen Klopp is currently holding him back.

The 29-year-old continues to recover from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered back in October following a shocking tackle by Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

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Van Dijk’s absence has been an almighty blow in a season which has slowly fallen part, with the Reds’ Premier League title defence fizzling out because of injuries and poor form.

The centre-back has been pictured various times in recent weeks as he works on his return to action, with the Dutchman back in the gym and also jogging on the training pitch.

Netherlands believe Klopp is holding Van Dijk back

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf [via Sport Witness], the Netherlands national team believe Van Dijk is closer to a return than Klopp is claiming and the player knows that his boss cannot make the decision on whether he plays a the Euros.

They reported: ‘Klopp has put the brakes firmly on in England, but Van Dijk knows that the German coach cannot forbid him to travel to the Oranje training camp at the end of May or the beginning of June for the final round of the European Championship. There is a good relationship between the player and Klopp and the Dutchman will not do ill-considered things.’

Klopp is reportedly hesitant to allow his key man to play a part in the Euros this summer, no doubt wanting to keep him wrapped in cotton wool ahead of next season.

It is stated that there is a ‘good relationship’ between the Liverpool manager and Van Dijk’s national setup, though, so the right decision will likely be made in terms of what is most beneficial to the Reds superstar.

Transfer Tavern take

From a selfish Liverpool perspective, Van Dijk will hopefully not feature at the Euros, avoiding the risk of another injury setback ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

It could be that the defender still features for the Reds late this season, which would then make it difficult to deny him the chance to represent his country at a major tournament – a dream for so many players, and one which the defender hasn’t experienced even at 29.

Van Dijk needs to be managed extremely carefully by both club and country, ensuring he gets back to being the world-class footballer he had been before his injury.

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been begging the Reds to clinch the signing of one centre-back this summer. Read about who it is here.

Marcus Rashford’s hot streak continued as he put on a masterclass to help Manchester United come from behind to beat Liverpool and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Inspired by the spirited Rashford, who earns wages worth £200,000-per-week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side claimed one of their biggest scalps of this season so far.

Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Rashford gave the Red Devils victory in a thrilling FA Cup clash against the defending Premier League champions at Old Trafford.

After Greenwood drew the Red Devils level, the Rashford scored shortly after halftime to put them within touching distance of a place in the next round of the competition.

While Fernandes will be the name in the headlines, it was Rashford who stepped up to derail the Reds’ pursuit of silverware. Mo Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool at Old Trafford but United bounced back in style after a cross-field diagonal ball from Rashford found Greenwood on the right, who coolly slotted home past the helpless Alisson.

But he saved his best moment for later in the game as he latched onto a through ball from Greenwood and found the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, the monstrous Rashford earned a 7.8 match rating for his display, that being the second-highest out of any United player on the pitch, bettered only by a certain Greenwood, which was significantly higher than his season average of 6.96.

Against Liverpool, he would take two shots on target, which was the most of any player from Solskjaer’s squad, including Fernandes.

He’s still not the finished article, that much is obvious, but he’s started to show a maturity far beyond his years both on and off the pitch.

The England international also took more touches (38) than Edinson Cavani as he showed a willingness to bring the ball out from inside his own half to put his team on the front foot, as evidenced by his two successful dribbles from three attempts per 86′ minutes.

He would also win four duels, which is on par with his average of 4.5 in the Premier League, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were tasked with the job of keeping the left winger at bay, received below-par ratings of 6.4 and 6.7 respectively, as per SofaScore, which goes some way to show that it was the United forward who got the best of his direct opponents on the day.

If the Red Devils are to regain the title for the first time since the 2012-13 season and go far in the FA Cup too, United fans will be hoping that he can maintain his impressive run of form, which has seen him score 15 goals in 31 appearances so far this season.

AND in other news, Manchester United should consider January loan exit for Donny van de Beek…

Reims striker Boulaye Dia has admitted he is flattered by reported interest from Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace, according to France Football.

What’s the word?

Reports emerged in the past month suggesting that Roy Hodgson’s side were lining up a potential bid for the Reims forward in the January transfer window, and judging by his latest comments, it appears that their interest hasn’t gone unnoticed.

He said: “It’s a new source of motivation (to be linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs). It’s always flattering – but you have to stay focused.

“You hear too many things. Your name is everywhere.”

The 24-year-old has been in prolific form for the French side, providing 14 goals and one assist in 25 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Bye-bye Michy Batshuayi?

The 3-cap Senegal international centre-forward, who is currently valued at £10m via Transfermarkt, is one of the hottest properties in French football after an outstanding season and Palace are likely to face stiff competition if they wish to secure his services. Dia finds himself on the radar of Serie A giants AC Milan and has also been linked with moves to Arsenal and West Ham in recent months.

Whether a move to Selhurst Park is still on the cards, however, is another matter entirely after Palace signed French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta from Bundesliga side Mainz on an initial 18-month loan with the option to make the move permanent.

However, with Michy Batshuayi set to return to Chelsea after his loan spell expires at the end of this season, the Eagles may look to bring in Dia as an alternative.

Indeed, in Dia, Hodgson could find a suitable replacement, if not an instant upgrade on Batshuayi, who bagged six goals in 13 games during his first stint at Selhurst Park, but has struggled to replicate that form at club level this season. The 27-year-old has only managed to find the back of the net once in 17 appearances in his second spell so far, surely putting any potential permanent move in doubt.

In comparison, Dia – who is three years his junior – has largely picked up where he left off last season, having scored seven times in Ligue 1 before the campaign was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, per Transfermarkt.

A return of 12 goals this season sees him ranked fourth in Ligue 1 in a leaderboard topped by none other than Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, via WhoScored.

He’s also averaged a whopping two shots per game in the top flight, which is more than the likes of Christian Benteke and Eberechi Eze – Batshuayi doesn’t even come close to those kind of numbers as he is averaging just 0.7 shots per game in the Premier League this season.

If Hodgson can encourage Palace chairman Steve Parish to dip into his pockets, then he should sanction a move for Dia as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace have struck gold with Eberechi Eze…

Manchester United’s start to this season has been a rollercoaster of a ride.

Linked to the likes of Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho, Leicester City star James Maddison and former Birmingham City wonderkid Jude Bellingham in the summer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced to settle for nothing less than Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek, as well as promising youngsters Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri. Oh the shame!

But that’s not all, though.

Solskjaer has had to dodge rampant speculation over his future at Old Trafford all the way to taking his side to the top of the table, level on points with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. It almost beggars belief, really.

But if there’s one criticism that can be made, they arguably lack that final cutting edge in the midfield. Other than Bruno Fernandes, no other midfielder has reached double figures  – Scott McTominay is the closest despite only scoring three goals in 20 appearances across all competitions.

According to The Daily Mail, United had the chance to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. However, the Red Devils refused to meet their asking price, and a move failed to materialise as he signed a contract extension to extend his stay at Villa Park in the end instead.

It goes without saying that Grealish would have added a great deal to Solskjaer’s side, having provided five goals and nine assists in 15 games in the Premier League this season thus far, via Transfermarkt.

The 25-year-old bears some resemblance to his countryman Paul Gascoigne. Just like Gascoigne, he is a superb dribbler, capable of picking the ball up from inside his own half and gliding past defenders.

Per WhoScored, Grealish has managed, on average, 2.9 dribbles  per game for Villa in the Premier League. By comparison, new summer recruit Van de Beek has averaged a mere 0.4 attempts over the same metric.

In terms of shots per game, there’s almost no comparison, as the England international is far ahead of the 23-year-old by quite some margin – 2.7 in contrast to Van de Beek’s abysmal 0.1, albeit from far fewer starts.

BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage believes Grealish would be an “incredible” signing for any team inside the top five, as quoted by The Daily Express.

Whether the Red Devils will regard this as a missed opportunity in the years to come remains to be seen, but Woodward will have to break the bank in order to meet Villa’s £100m valuation.

AND in other news, Manchester United must swoop for Lens defender Facundo Medina…

Steve Bruce must axe Jeff Hendrick from his Newcastle United squad after the summer signing proved to be a complete dud once again in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa.

Hendrick was recalled to the starting line-up after falling to the bench for last week’s 3-0 defeat at Arsenal and was given his first Premier League appearance in central midfield since November when beaten 2-0 at Southampton.

Newcastle have now only won in one of their six top-flight fixtures in which Bruce has fielded Hendrick centrally, after a completely abject performance at Villa Park that Chronicle Live summed up in one word: Anonymous.

Bruce’s decision to field Hendrick was also quizzed by The Northern Echo, who likewise slammed the 60-cap Republic of Ireland midfielder for being anonymous once more in Birmingham and questions have to be raised over his inclusion.

Hendrick’s only moment of real value against Dean Smith’s Villans came deep into stoppage time, well beyond when his number should have been shown, with the 28-year-old’s through ball finding Dwight Gayle in the box.

Gayle could only flick his effort wide as Newcastle laboured to defeat with just one shot on target from seven attempts, coming through Miguel Almiron in the fourth-minute.

Hendrick had an effort on Emiliano Martinez’s net of his own in the first-minute of second-half stoppage-time, but failed to see the Argentine have to make a save from what was only his first shot in 192 minutes of top-flight football.

Never has the former Burnley midfielder attempted more than one shot in a Premier League fixture since moving to Tyneside in the previous transfer window, with a lower shots-per-game ratio than eight of his teammates at 0.7, per WhoScored.

His lack of creativity at Villa Park was far from a surprise, either, having averaged just 0.2 key passes a game. That accounts for fewer goalscoring opportunities being carved out than 16 members of the United dressing room – including defender Federico Fernandez (0.3) and fellow midfielders Isaac Hayden (0.3), Matty Longstaff (0.4), Sean Longstaff (0.4) and Jacob Murphy (0.5).

Any hopes of a United comeback were never going to come through Hendrick on Saturday night, with the Irishman only recording one progressive carry by moving the ball more than five yards. Instead, 43 of his 44 carries saw the Dublin native simply palm off possession or stay static, while playing just four of 51 passes more than 10 yards, per FBref.

Bruce saw nothing of worth from Hendrick when the £8m-rated man was out of possession, either, with the midfielder pressuring Villa players on just seven occasions – no United player who started applied pressure to the home side less often.

If Hendrick starts Newcastle’s next Premier League fixture at home to Leeds United on Tuesday night in central midfield, he will only hold the Magpies back once again and as such, he simply must be dropped if Bruce has any hopes of getting the win he needs as he battles to keep his job.

AND in other news, Newcastle face a fight to sign a £7m-rated target who “destroys” danger.

Wolves summer transfer window was an eye-catching one to say the least.

Ever since Fosun and Nuno Santo entered the football club, they have never been afraid to spend big sums of money. You only need to look at the £15m investment they made on Ruben Neves when they were still in the Championship.

However, after selling Diogo Jota to Liverpool they took their spending to a whole new level.

They broke their transfer record to sign Fabio Silva for a fee of £35.6m and then landed former Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo for an initial fee of £26.61m.

However, one man they missed out on was exciting Brazilian winger Pepe.

The Gremio sensation is an electric talent and according to reports, Wolves even submitted a bid for the 23-year-old.

Back in September, it was claimed that the Midlands side were ready to pay €15m (£13.6m) for his services. Negotiations then supposedly began properly in October but nothing came of the talks between the two clubs.

As such, Wolves missed out on someone that could have replaced Adama Traore. The Spaniard was linked with an exit in the summer and it’s now thought that Wolves are growing frustrated over his contract. Thus, it’s not too far-fetched to suggest he may leave.

Compare Pepe to Traore and it’s clear to see why they should regret missing out on the diminutive Brazilian.

Speaking about him back in April, Gremio vice president Paulo Luz said: “Pepe is a young, talented player who has that extra touch of class. He is fast and is a great finisher.”

Talented? Tick. Touch of class? Tick. Fast? Tick. Pepe has everything that Traore has.

In fact, if we’re looking for areas that the Wolves target is better in, it’s undoubtedly in front of goal. He has scored seven goals in just 18 outings in the league this season. For context, Wolves’ number 37 is yet to find the net this term.

That being said, he has still been a huge threat with his dribbling and the ability to beat a man. Traore has performed 3.4 successful dribbles per match in the Premier League this season, a number that Pepe comes close to – registering 2.7 of his own back in Brazil.

At under £20m, Wolves could have had a snip here but such is Pepe’s rapid progression, he’ll now probably cost a lot more. Over to you, Jeff Shi.

In other news, Nuno’s big GAMBLE could be a game-changer for Morgan Gibbs-White…

Whilst Alfredo Morelos has been linked with a move away from Glasgow Rangers in recent months – with recent reports revealing Lille remain interested in the Colombia international – Allan McGregor’s potential departure would be an equally devastating blow for Steven Gerrard.

What’s the word?

The veteran goalkeeper is enjoying a stellar campaign between the sticks at Ibrox this season, having conceded just one goal and kept six clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership.

However, his contract with the 54-time Scottish champions is set to expire at the end of the season, which means the club risk losing him as a free agent in the summer if he agrees to a pre-contract deal in January.

Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton has urged the board to tie his former teammate McGregor down to a new deal, saying he has earned the right to an extension in an interview with Football Insider.

He said: “Even though he’s my best friend, take that out of it, I mean, I would literally give him a contract until he wanted to retire, that’s how highly I rate him.

“He’s a leading figure, he’s in a good place right now, he’s very fit, he looks after himself. He’s another one, an integral part of that squad as well.

“I would want to tie him down, and for me, I would just keep it rolling, he is that good, that good at the moment so it wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted to sign him for at least another year.”

It’s fair to say that his performances in recent weeks have warranted him to be rewarded with a new deal, having been trusted for most Europa League games so far this season.

Get it done, Gers!

With Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson forming a blossoming partnership at the back, together the trio have created a nigh-on impenetrable fortress at Ibrox, as Rangers have conceded a combined total of just nine goals in both domestic and European competitions so far.

For his part, McGregor has proven to be a dependable asset under Gerrard, as he was given the gloves to face Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Parkhead back in October.

Despite his age, it would be a real shame to see the 38-year-old leave the Gers as a free agent at the end of the season, as he has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Gerrard heaped praise on McGregor after the “superb” stopper kept another clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Willem II in Tilburg during the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.

If he can help the Gers regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season, then we can see no reason why he won’t write his name into the history books.

Whilst much of the focus will be on Morelos, Ross Wilson and co must ensure that McGregor commits his future to the club and return the favour by rewarding him with a new and improved contract.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers winger Ianis Hagi defied the critics against Lech Poznan in the Europa League…

Whilst Arsenal may have secured a deadline beating move for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey, one area of the midfield that they failed to address over the course of the summer transfer window was the issue with creativity.

The Gunners were in a long-running pursuit of Lyon dynamo Houssem Aouar, but that deal failed to materialise when it appeared the north London side weren’t too keen on matching the demands set out by the French giants.

But, in recent weeks, journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side are also hot on the trail of another midfield starlet, with RB Salzburg’s Dominik Szoboszlai on their radar amid a potential move in future transfer windows.

And on Wednesday night in the Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow, the Hungary international proved exactly why Arsenal must forget about Aouar and prioritise him instead.

Aside from scoring a wonderful goal, Szoboszlai was a constant threat for Salzburg, coming in off the left flank and linking up well with the likes of Patson Daka up front.

He was never scared of trying things and always tried to take the lead creatively, and it was no surprise that his total of 78 touches were the highest of any midfield or attacking player for either side.

He provided two key passes, sent in a whopping ten crosses and attempted six dribbles too. It was an all-action display from the 19-year-old, and it was quite telling that even at a young age, he is taking considerable attacking responsibility for a Champions League playing side.

His willingness to take risks saw him concede possession 30 times over the course of the game, and whilst at times he was loose with the ball, his desire to create should be something that is applauded.

Arsenal are crying out for someone to feed the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front. Szoboszlai proved on Wednesday night that he could help complete Arteta’s jigsaw in midfield along with Thomas Partey.