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Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie believes that Ryan Christie has played his last game for the Hoops.

The Lowdown: Christie’s contract

The 26-year-old, who has been at the club since 2015, is out of contract in January 2022. That means Christie can talk to clubs outside of Scotland ahead of a pre-contract agreement, which could result in a free transfer next year.

He has been linked with the likes of Monaco and Southampton recently but is still a Hoops player for the time being. He has made 142 appearances in green and white, scoring 40 goals and registering 41 assists while winning five major honours, but it seems that his days in Glasgow could now be numbered.

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The Latest: McAvennie comments

McAvennie was talking to Football Insider regarding Christie and his Parkhead future. The 61-year-old, who labelled the midfielder a ‘laughing stock’ last month, said:

“He’s been allowed to talk to clubs now.

“He’s still here. That shows you how in-demand he is. I don’t think he’ll get a game now at Celtic.

“He’s had his chance, that doesn’t change overnight when a new manager comes in.

“On the other hand, Postecoglou might like him. He might take the decision out of Christie’s hands and make him part of the squad.

“He’s not a team player so I can’t see that. But he can want to go as much as he wants, no one has come in for him.”

The Verdict: Sell as soon as possible

Even though Christie is able to discuss a pre-contract agreement, interested clubs may still want to sign him now, which means they would have to pay the Hoops a fee.

It seems as if this will be the last chance Celtic will get to receive a fee for the midfielder, so it’s crucial that they do so instead of losing him for nothing.

His Transfermarkt valuation stands at £6.3m, but with six months left on his contract, a deal worth half that figure could still be good business.

In other news: UEFA Pro Licence coach keen to work with Ange Postecoglou at Celtic, find out more here. 

West Ham United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Robin Olsen to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication AS (via Sport Witness), who claim that the AS Roma goalkeeper is open to a move away from the Stadio Olimpico in the summer transfer window.

Both West Ham and Atletico Madrid are mentioned as potential destinations for the 31-year-old shot-stopper, with it being believed that David Moyes’ side have already made an enquiry with the Italian club regarding a move for the Sweden international.

GSB surely buzzing

With a transfer undoubtedly being easier to get over the line when a player is open to a move away from their current club, in addition to the fact it has been widely reported that David Gold and David Sullivan have been on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to bring into West Ham this summer, the news that Olsen would be happy to leave Roma ahead of next season is sure to have left the Hammers board buzzing.

And, while he did not feature all the much while on loan at Everton last season, the ‘keeper nevertheless proved he would make a very solid addition to David Moyes’ options between the sticks during his time at the Toffees, as well as with Sweden at Euro 2020 this summer.

Indeed, over his seven Premier League appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side last term, the £2.7m-rated goalkeeper helped his team keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of three saves per game and a total of 21 stops over the course of the season.

The metrics saw the man the Spanish press dubbed a “monstrous” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Everton’s 12th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

The £14k-per-week goalkeeper continued this fine form at Euro 2020, keeping two clean sheets and making an average of 2.8 saves per fixture over his four appearances in the competition, earning an average SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Sweden’s joint second-best player in the tournament.

As such, with the 36-year-old Lukasz Fabianski very much heading towards the twilight of his footballing career at the top level of the game, Olsen would appear to be a very solid option to provide backup and competition for the Poland international next season, before potentially taking over from the veteran shot-stopper as West Ham’s number one at some point in the not so distant future.

In other news: West Ham handed transfer boost over “exceptional” Euro 2020 gem, Moyes will be buzzing

Conor Gallagher is a player Newcastle like as they look to strengthen in midfield, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Gallagher spent the 2020/21 season on loan from Chelsea at West Bromwich Albion, who suffered relegation from the Premier League.

The Englishman started 28 Premier League matches for the Baggies, scoring twice and contributing two assists (via WhoScored).

Only Aston Villa’s John McGinn (12) picked up more yellow cards than the 21-year-old (11) over the course of the campaign.

It was reported earlier this week that Crystal Palace are also trying to sign Gallagher as they close on the signing of fellow Chelsea youngster Marc Guehi (via The Athletic).

The latest

Newcastle are apparently looking to sign two midfielders of different moulds during the transfer window. They want one ‘box-to-box’ player but also a ‘combative presence’ in the middle of the park.

‘Ideally’ one of their additions would be Joe Willock, who spent the latter half of the 2020/21 campaign at St James’ Park, but Gallagher is a player the Toon ‘admire’.

The verdict

Gallagher probably deserves another shot in the Premier League after a season in what was a desperately poor, ill-equipped West Brom side.

He underlined his talent in a spell at Swansea the year before, playing a key role as they reached the Championship play-offs.

Missing out on Willock would be a pretty huge disappointment and Gallagher would enter St James’ Park under that cloud, but he has the tools to be a decent alternative, registering one shot and one dribble per game last term while completing 81.5 per cent of his passes (Whoscored).

In other news, Ben Jacobs has dropped this claim on Newcastle’s takeover arbitration. 

Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe will not be moving to Aston Villa this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Villa’s bids

Villa have tried their luck regarding Smith Rowe this summer and made the attacking midfielder a top target.

The Gunners turned down bids in the region of £25m and £30m from Villa, who were thought to be planning a third bid.

Smith Rowe, valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, scored for Arsenal in their 2-1 pre-season defeat to Hibernian on Wednesday, and Mikel Arteta was quizzed on the 20-year-old following the friendly in Edinburgh.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Arteta admitted Smith Rowe will stay in north London beyond the summer. Romano added that the Gunners board are convinced he will sign a new contract in a Twitter post on Wednesday evening and a move to Villa won’t be happening.

“Mikel Arteta has just confirmed: “Emile Smith-Rowe will stay at Arsenal, 100% and no doubt”. AFC board convinced he’s gonna sign the new contract soon – no Aston Villa move for him.”

The Verdict: Time for McNeil?

Villa now have to move on to other targets, and one man who was named as a possible alternative to Smith Rowe earlier this month was Burnley’s Dwight McNeil, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans.

McNeil is an out and out left-winger, so should Villa now go for the Clarets man, that could mean Jack Grealish may have to move into the number 10 role for the new season.

Grealish occupied the left-wing spot on 19 occasions and an attacking midfield role eight times last season, so he’s more than capable of becoming Villa’s 10 in a possible front four of Buendia, Grealish, McNeil and Ollie Watkins.

In other news: ‘Got told’ – Ashley Preece now claims ‘important’ ace ‘is joining’ Aston Villa.

Bournemouth’s David Brooks could become of interest to Aston Villa this summer as Emile Smith Rowe continues to remain out of sight, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Villa have earmarked Smith Rowe as a key target; however, Arsenal have rejected two of their bids for the player in this transfer window.

Smith Rowe now looks almost certain to stay at the Emirates, with reports suggesting that he is close to signing a new contract.

It means Villa will now have to consider alternative options, and Hatfield believes Brooks could be one of them.

“Someone like David Brooks maybe could be of interest,” the Aston Villa journalist told FFC when asked about contingency plans. “He’s a player who probably fits the mould.”

Brooks has been linked with Villa in the past. According to talkSPORT, the 24-year-old was a target for the Midlands club back in January, so perhaps they could follow up on that interest now.

In the 2018/19 Premier League season when he was fully fit, Brooks scored seven goals and provided five assists for Bournemouth, decent numbers for a youngster playing in the top flight for the first time.

The Wales international is also capable of playing on the right, in the No.10 role and as a second striker, so he could be a very useful attacking option for Villa to have.

Spanish football journalist Euan McTear can’t see Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto switching Spain for England this summer, despite rumours that Manchester City were offered the Spaniard.

Roberto has been with Barcelona his whole career and even played under current Man City manager Pep Guardiola, when the Spaniard was in charge at the Nou Camp.

The reported £176,000-a-week full-back is one of Barcelona’s vice-captains and on the transfer rumours linking him with Man City, McTear told FFC: “I think with Sergi Roberto maybe not (transferred away). Him in the dressing as a vice captain, I think he brings a lot to Barcelona that they don’t want to lose, especially with Busquets and Pique getting older.”

With Barcelona’s current financial complications, by keeping Roberto it may help them save a lot of money having to recruit in other areas. This is because the Spaniard offers so much versatility.

Roberto has made 191 appearances in central midfield, the most of any position he is comfortable playing in, but the Barcelona man can also play both right and left-back, as well as defensive and right midfield.

Whilst Roberto offers so much in the way of versatility and could be a good fit at Manchester City, Goal are reporting that Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are interested in taking him on a loan deal to the Allianz Arena.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Southampton player Carlton Palmer believes Ralph Hasenhuttl was never going to be able to keep hold of Mario Lemina.

The 27-year-old recently joined Ligue 1 outfit Nice, bringing his time at St. Mary’s to an end.

Hasenhuttl, though, recently told BBC Radio Solent (via HampshireLive) that he wanted to retain the services of Lemina going into the new season.

This comes despite the Gabonese midfielder spending the last couple of campaigns out on loan at Fulham and Galatasaray and away from his former manager’s first-team plans.

Taking that into account, Palmer feels Lemina remaining on the south coast was never an option.

“When you show a player you’re not really keen on him, which is what he’s done, then you’re not going to be able to keep the player in the next breath,” the ex-Southampton star told TT.

“He’s made the decision at the time to loan him out and he’s not been involved and now he’s in a situation where he needs midfield players. But the player’s not going to stay, is he? It’s a difficult one.”

It obviously leaves Southampton now needing to dip into the transfer market, with Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury potentially being one option.

According to a Football Insider report back in June, both the Saints and Newcastle United were competing for the 23-year-old’s signature.

Former player Steve Howey believes that Southampton are going to want a huge fee for midfielder James Ward-Prowse. 

The Saints captain played in all Southampton’s Premier League games last season, as well as making five FA Cup appearances and one Carabao Cup match, scoring nine goals and setting up a further seven.

Ward-Prowse only extended his contract last year with Southampton but has attracted the interest of Aston Villa this summer. Villa saw a bid of around £25m rejected for the Saints man last month according to Sky Sports, with Saints Extra claiming this week that the Midlands outfit are expected to return with a second offer, believing the England international could cost them up to £50m.

Steve Howey believes that the Saints will want to command a much higher fee for Ward-Prowse, telling Football FanCast: “I think they’d want a lot more than that, I think you’d be looking to double that possibly for him.”

Southampton have been active in the transfer window already this summer with four new signings. Theo Walcott, Tino Livramento, Romain Perraud and Dynel Simeu have all arrived at St Mary’s, and after Danny Ings departed the club for Aston Villa, talkSPORT understands that the Saints have enquired about the availability of Tammy Abraham on loan.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are limited with their spending this summer but if they sell some of their best players, we could see a hefty spree in the remaining weeks of the window.

Bruno Lage hasn’t had it easy since becoming the new manager but the arrival of Trincao has provided reason to be excited.

On the chalkboard

One player who could leave Wolves this summer is Adama Traore.

The Spaniard has long been linked with an exit from Molineux with Leeds United one of the sides interested in securing his services.

He only scored twice in the league last term but is one of the most electrifying players in the Premier League on his day.

His speed is unrelenting and his dribbling is absolutely dazzling. In 2020/21, Traore completed 4.1 dribbles per match, the highest tally by any player in the English top-flight.

Therefore, if he does leave the Midlands, it would be a huge loss to Wolves’ chances heading into the new campaign.

The solution

Trincao’s dribbling ability should act as a solid remedy to Traore’s potential departure but they could really make moves to replace him by signing Romain Faivre.

Wolves were linked with the Brest winger this week courtesy of reports in France and if they acquire his services, they’d have a real gem on their hands.

Capable of playing on either flank or even through the middle, he is electric in possession of the ball and beats players for ease.

In Ligue 1 last season, Faivre managed 2.5 dribbles per match. It’s someway down on Wolves’ dazzling Spaniard but he is an incredibly rare breed when it comes to that facet of the game.

Described as an “elegant player” by Steve Mounie, the attacker would also bring plenty of goals and assists to the table.

The 23-year-old has found the net 13 times in his senior career, six of which came last season. On top of that, he accumulated five assists.

His manager, Olivier Dall’Oglio is another effusive in his praise for Faivre. “He’s comfortable on the ball, and fast in possession, he’s got great vision too,” he began.

“He’s got something special. He rarely loses the ball, he can break through the lines by dribbling, and his passing creates so many chances for us,” Dall’Oglio continued:

On that evidence, he’d be an excellent signing for Lage, one that could really help them to replace Traore.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for 35-goal “monster”, he could be Willian Jose 2.0…

Serie A expert Conor Clancy has called for West Ham United to solve their striker search by plumping for Italy international Andrea Belotti.

Hammers boss David Moyes is looking to add strength in depth after guiding the east Londoners into this season’s Europa League thanks to a club record Premier League points tally securing sixth place last term.

However, West Ham have been left frustrated in their efforts to welcome new signings as Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been the only arrival on a season-long loan, which has the option of being made permanent.

That means the Hammers are going into the new campaign with just one senior striker in the form of Michail Antonio.

According to Italian media outlet Corriere Granata, West Ham are interested in Torino frontman Belotti. The report reveals Premier League rivals Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton have also kept tabs on the 27-year-old this summer.

Belotti has scored 105 goals in 228 Torino appearances and Forza Italian Football editor Clancy feels the prolific striker is capable of replicating that form at the London Stadium.

He told Football FanCast: “He can score goals if he plays in a team where he gets service. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit between 15 and 20 goals a season again because he is very, very good across the board.”