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In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has called for Morgan Sanson to be given more time at his old club.

Sanson has barely featured from the start under manager Dean Smith and, according to Football Insider, some of the higher-ups at Villa Park now have regrets over signing the 26-year-old from Marseille during the January transfer window.

With Sanson having not even been at the club for half a season, though, Hendrie believes he should be given some leeway as he continues to adapt to the Premier League.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the French midfielder, Hendrie said:

“There was big talk about how good he was and how good his energy was. He hasn’t really had a thick run of games, which I think is important for a footballer.

“You know, we’re quick to judge players coming on, yes, you want an impact when they come on. You’re spending big money on players that are coming in and you want to see some form of transition where you’re going to get a positive from and we haven’t quite seen that so far from him, so whether it takes the summer [perhaps].”

With Sanson joining Villa in January and not being able to get a pre-season under his belt, perhaps time is what the former Marseille man needs. Until then, you would expect Smith to continue leaning on the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz as the Villans look to finish the campaign strongly.

Former Newcastle United star Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Steve Bruce giving the squad some time off could give the club a much-needed boost.

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope reported earlier this week that Bruce was set to give the club’s under-performing players six days out of nine off as they attempt to navigate themselves away from relegation trouble.

Newcastle are only two points clear of Fulham in 18th and face a horrific run-in that includes games against West Ham United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City, while their next game comes against Tottenham Hotspur.

If the Magpies are to stay up, they need to pick up big results against top teams.

And Gillespie thinks that the idea of giving Newcastle’s players time off could actually be a smart move as the squad look to escape the negativity pervading through St James’ Park.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think there’s so much negativity about the place. And I think it might be a good idea in terms of getting away from the club, getting away from all that negativity.”

Gillespie accepts that fans could believe the decision is a poor one, as they want to see players working hard on the training pitch.

He added: “It’s been a tough, tough, tough season. Unfortunately, for me, performances have been really poor. So, it is a tough one, fans maybe think, ‘well, why aren’t you on the training pitch trying to fix things?’

“With the international break, you are going to have some players away. So I’m sure that when they are in they will be working hard.

“But, as I say, with that negativity surrounding the club at the minute, maybe a few days away, this sort of international break, might have come at the right time.”

Many Sunderland fans are delighted after a report from Football Insider suggested that Jordan Jones is eager to sign for the club permanently in the summer.

The 26-year-old made the move to the Stadium of Light on loan from Rangers in January and has impressed so far on Wearside. In 11 matches for the Black Cats, he has two goals and four assists to his name (Transfermarkt) and has proven to be a breath of fresh for the League One outfit – his arrival has given them the impetus to push for promotion to the Championship.

He is set to return to his parent club at the end of the campaign, but this report suggests that he would be eager to stay upon Wearside rather than return north of the border. The report added that a fee of £600,000 would be enough for Rangers to sanction a permanent sale.

The news was shared on Twitter by @sunderlandafc11, and it attracted plenty of attention from Sunderland supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Jones news below

“Just don’t get our hopes up please”

Credit: @LukeeWelshh

“what a Monday morning man”

Credit: @LB01__

“Would be happy with this.”

Credit: @AL_SNR58

“This man has my heart”

Credit: @ow3n__

“That’s good news…”

Credit: @John67684101

“he would be some player for the Championship”

Credit: @WilliamHorrigan

In other news, many Sunderland fans loved these comments from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that losing Yerry Mina would be a big blow for his old side.

Latest reports suggest that the 26-year-old central defender could leave Goodison Park in the summer, with Serie A outfits Inter Milan and Fiorentina both said to be interested.

Mina joined Everton from Barcelona back in 2018 on the back of an impressive World Cup in Russia and has been a regular under Carlo Ancelotti this season when fit.

The Italian, however, may find himself having to turn to another centre-back next term if the likes of inter Milan and Fiorentina really do end up making a play for the Colombia international in the next transfer window.

On the Toffees potentially losing Mina this summer, Bent told FFC:

“It would be a big loss because he is one of the bigger players within the team. Again, we’d have to replace him. Have we got the money? Yeah, I think we’ve got a little bit of money to spend, but how much?

“You’ve got to pay the wages to attract these players. I think that’s been Everton’s problem over the years.”

As for incomings, Everton have been linked with one of Ancelotti’s former players at Napoli, Kalidou Koulibaly, who could replace Mina in central defence.

Steve Bruce must block Jacob Murphy from leaving Newcastle United at the end of the season amid doubts about the winger’s long-term future.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Murphy is not expected to become a free agent this June as he actually has another year reaming on his current contract.

But that is not a guarantee the 26-year-old will be at St. James’ Park next season, as Magpies chiefs are yet to decide on if he will stay at the club once the transfer window opens.

Murphy has been expected to become a free agent in June with it thought that his £25,000-per-week deal expires this summer.

Reports by Chronicle Live earlier this month also claimed that Newcastle are in active talks with Murphy over new terms, in an attempt to avoid losing the winger for no compensation.

Toon boss Steve Bruce has even remarked on Murphy’s impending status as a free agent, noting via quotes by The Shields Gazette: “I sincerely hope that we tie Jacob Murphy down.”

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Should Newcastle retain Murphy?

It seems unlikely that Murphy would be under contract at Newcastle through to 2022 rather this summer with Bruce openly discussing his desires for new terms, but the doubt over the forward’s long-term future would remain either way.

Bruce must therefore lobby the Magpies hierarchy to retain Murphy, as the £3m-rated dynamo has proven to be a crucial player at St. James’ Park this season despite rarely starting Premier League games.

Murphy has only opened 10 of his 19 top-flight appearances this term and been left on the bench (7) or omitted from the squad (5) more often than introduced as a substitute (9), but he has shown to be capable of delivering a game-changing impact.

Bruce hailed the former Norwich City forward for his dramatic equaliser and claimed “he was arguably our best player” against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October, when Murphy fired home a late free-kick to snatch a point.

It failed to see Murphy become one of the first names on the teamsheet, yet Bruce acknowledges the “big part” he has played this season and praises the forward for ticking all he boxes as he’s “young, hungry [and] determined to do well.”

That hunger led to telling contributions from the bench when Wolves visited Tyneside in February, setting up the equaliser in stoppage-time against Aston Villa in March, running himself into the ground against Tottenham Hotspur and earning praise from Alan Shearer after scoring Newcastle’s first at Burnley last weekend.

His performances against Spurs and the Clarets this month each came at full-back while his displays against Wolves and Aston Villa showed the offensive creativity he can offer, and why Bruce must block Newcastle from letting Murphy leave this summer.

AND in other news, Newcastle land huge boost in race to sign “intelligent” teen with five goals this season…

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa may have suffered a major transfer howler as news emerges from behind the scenes at Elland Road about Robin Koch.

What’s the story?

The Germany international only arrived in the summer from Bundesliga side Freiburg, but has seen his debut campaign in the Premier League be disrupted heavily by injuries – he’s played just 14 times in the top-flight.

Now, Football Insider claim that Bielsa fears the centre-back doesn’t have what it takes to be a real success in the Premier League, and that while he regards him as a fine player, there is a real hole in his game.

The report suggests that “there is a sense at Thorp Arch he is ‘too soft’ to thrive in the Premier League” and that he “doesn’t like the aerial challenges” – it’s even claimed that “this weakness is considered by the coaching staff to be a major issue”.

Radrizzani won’t be happy

While Koch certainly hasn’t been helped by the fact injuries have plagued his first season in English football, it’s a damning indictment on his ability that Bielsa and Leeds’ coaching staff already feel he might not be cut out for the Premier League.

Given that the Whites spent around £13m to beat Tottenham to his signing in the summer, the news that the club feel like they may have made a mistake, or at least not done their homework properly on him in scouting him, surely won’t have Andrea Radrizzani happy.

The Leeds owner splashed the cash in bringing Koch and fellow centre-back Diego Llorente into the club in order to reinforce the centre of defence ahead of the Whites’ return to the Premier League.

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For the club to now have second thoughts on one of their big-money acquisitions just months into his career at Elland Road must surely go down as a major howler.

Meanwhile, Leeds could make an exciting swoop for this Bundesliga star…

Leeds United have been handed a transfer blow with Rangers star Ryan Kent keen to stay at Ibrox for at least another 12 months.

That’s according to sources provided to Football Insider, who claim that Kent wants a crack at the Champions League under Steven Gerrard next season.

The report claims that Victor Orta and co ‘will move on to other targets’ as a result, six words that appear to end the club’s interest in Kent for good.

Orta already has a list of potential wide forward targets drawn up, and it seems as if he’ll be looking at that over the coming months following the update on Kent.

Transfer Tavern take

Although Kent could have proved to have been a solid signing by the Whites, we have total confidence in Orta pulling off another shrewd attacking acquisition.

Orta sealed arguably one of the signings of the season last year in Raphinha’s £17m move on deadline day, with the Brazilian Leeds’ best-rated performer in the club’s first campaign back in the top flight, as per WhoScored.

It doesn’t look as if Kent will be heading to Elland Road, but that allows Orta to explore other attacking options to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s squad as they look to build on an impressive campaign, and if his scoop for Raphinha is anything to go by, he certainly knows how to find a bargain in the crowded market for quality attacking players.

In other news: Phil Hay drops major hint on Leeds’ summer transfer plans involving Kalvin Phillips, find out more here. 

Many Sunderland fans were far from happy with Josh Scowen following his post-match interview on Saturday.

The Black Cats’ already faint hopes of automatic promotion were all but ended this weekend. Lee Johnson’s side were in action against Accrington Stanley and should have secured all three points after going 2-0 up early on through a Charlie Wyke brace. However, Stanley levelled things up at 2-2 and, although Sunderland once again took the lead, they could only come away with a 3-3 draw.

After the match, 28-year-old Scowen spoke to the club’s in-house media team to discuss the game. He appeared to give a balanced view of the performance, stating that the Wearside outfit started well but were poor after the break.

However, Scowen does not seem to be particularly popular with the supporters, and many Sunderland fans were quick to share their thoughts on the midfielder after a clip of his comments was shared on the club’s official Twitter account.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the comments from Scowen

“Please leave my club and never come back.”

Credit: @igfield73

“Joke”

Credit: @paulhun7276

“Is catastrophic”

Credit: @Templet69197880

“Bottled it as usual, prob do same if in playoffs.”

Credit: @Terence147

“The players are simply not good enough also pleased many of them are out of contract”

Credit: @AndrewsPhilip7

“Not only do we have to suffer Scowen on the pitch every game because he is an LJ favourite they put him up for interview. Absolute rubbish performances on a regular basis”

Credit: @Mcewan1320David

In other news, many Sunderland fans slammed this man’s performance against Accrington.

Sunderland have been dealt yet another significant injury blow ahead of their League One run-in.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the club website, Lee Johnson confirmed that centre-back Jordan Willis, who had initially picked up a knock during the clash with Shrewsbury Town back in February, is now facing a further nine to 12 months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.

In reaction to the news regarding Willis, Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith stated that the defender’s further injury was a “huge blow” for Johnson and his side.

Huge Blow

With Johnson having only confirmed on Tuesday that Willis’ fellow centre-back Dion Sanderson will miss the remainder of the season due to a back injury, the 39-year-old must be wondering if the universe has something against Sunderland achieving promotion from League One this season.

While it hadn’t appeared overly likely that Willis would be fit to feature in either of the crucial upcoming games against Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town, the recent injury to Sanderson, as well the longer-term absences of Arbenit Xhemajli and Tom Flanagan, has now left Johnson with only Bailey Wright available as a senior out-and-out centre-back in his first-team squad.

These injuries would be a nightmare for a manager to deal with at the best of times, but during a period in which Johnson’s side have gone from automatic promotion contenders to potentially slipping out of the play-off places with a loss, the Sunderland boss will undoubtedly be raging about his bad luck.

Furthermore, the timescale of the injury to Willis means that the defender’s absence is not only something which will affect Sunderland presently but will also continue to do so next season, whichever league the Black Cats happen to be in.

In any case, Johnson’s challenge to guide Sunderland out of League One has just become that little bit more difficult.

In other news: Lost possession 22 times: Johnson surely furious with shocking £5k-p/w Sunderland ace – opinion

Aston Villa are preparing a £15m bid for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: McNeil’s previous interest

Villa aren’t the first club to be linked with a move for the 21-year-old. McNeil has attracted interest from the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Leicester City and Wolves in recent years, but he’s remained at Turf Moor.

The Englishman has been labelled as one of Villa’s top targets this summer, with McNeil still having over three years remaining on his Clarets contract.

McNeil is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, and it seems as if Villa will attempt to seal a cut-price move going off latest reports.

The Latest: Villa source shares bid plans

A Villa source informed Football Insider that the club plan to test the water with a £15m offer early in the upcoming transfer window.

The report claims that Burnley are likely to hold out for a higher offer, which doesn’t exactly come as a surprise going off his Transfermarkt valuation and length of contract.

McNeil, described as ‘adaptable’ by Sean Dyche last year, was the 15th-most creative player in the entire league last season after creating 55 big chances.

The Verdict: In line with John Percy’s recent claim

Reliable reporter John Percy revealed in April that Villa will look to sign a winger this summer, and it seems as if McNeil could well be their man.

He’s mainly plied his trade out on the left-hand side during his career, so his potential arrival could allow Jack Grealish to move to a central role, should he remain at Villa Park.

Dean Smith should know all about McNeil following his starring display against Villa earlier this season, with the wide man scoring and providing an assist in a 3-2 win back in December.

Who knows, that performance may have caught Smith’s eye, and it seems as if the club are ready to firm up their interest.

In other news: Grealish to Man City transfer update emerges, find out more here.