Sheffield Wednesday fans have been discussing making a shock swoop for Leeds target Matej Vydra, and nearly two thirds of fans are backing a big move.

Derby County are expected to offload some first team players this summer as the Rams look to trim their wage bill, and Vydra could be the first out the door.

The 20-cap Czech international, valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, has been heavily linked with a move to Leeds, and The Telegraph claimed this weekend an £11m switch to Elland Road is edging closer.

Marcelo Bielsa needs a proven goalscorer if he’s going to get Leeds moving towards the right end of the table, but they are also interested in Abel Hernandez, and Owls’ fans are clearly hoping they swoop in and steal Vydra while their rivals are hesitating.

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Wednesday already have Gary Hooper and Atdhe Nuhiu, and their first priority this summer should be a creative playmaker rather than a goalscorer, but £11m for last season’s top scorer is simply too good to pass up.

Fans clearly agree, as 61 per cent said they should make a move for Vydra, and we suspect a few Leeds fans might have influenced the poll in the other direction as well.

Either way, you can find the full poll results down below…

The Leeds United fans in the Transfer Tavern are hoping their club can return to the Premier League next season under the watchful eye of Marcelo Bielsa, but recent reports suggest that the Argentine is looking in all the wrong places in the transfer market.

The Breakdown

It’s no secret that Leeds United are in the market for a new centre-forward this summer as rumours circulate regarding a handful of potential targets. The likes of Abel Hernandez and Baghdad Bounedjah have been heavily linked with a switch to Elland Road, but a recent report from The Sun suggests that the club have added a Premier League striker to their wish list, namely Jordan Hugill of West Ham United.

After enjoying an impressive opening to the 2017/18 season with Preston North End, Hugill earned a chance to prove himself in the Premier League as West Ham paid £9.2 million to bring him to the London Stadium last January.

However, Hugill made just 3 cameo appearances totalling 22 minutes of competitive football in a thoroughly underwhelming opening to his career in East London.

Leeds’ interest is rather misplaced considering how miserably he failed to break into a team which was hardly firing on all cylinders in the final-third.

His record of 8 goals from 27 appearances for Preston prior to his transfer was hardly groundbreaking either, and if Leeds want to genuinely challenge for promotion next season they will need to aim much higher in the transfer market.

A natural target man by trade, Hugill is far from a good fit for Bielsa who has generally favoured mobile strikers in his career so far and, with that in mind, the recently-appointed manager would be wise to turn his attention towards alternative targets this summer.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

In idly standing by as Liverpool completed a bargain £13million swoop for Xherdan Shaqiri, Tottenham have missed a trick that may not only see the Reds leapfrog them in the Premier League compared to last season’s final standings, but could also propel Jurgen Klopp’s side towards genuine title contention in 2018/19.

That may come across as a hyperbolic notion, because for all the Switzerland international’s undoubted quality, which resulted in him clinching a career-best eight goals and seven assists in the Premier League last season, he still doesn’t seem like the right fit for the profile Klopp’s created at Anfield, one of selflessness and industriousness.

Whereas Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah – not to mention the midfield and defence behind them – made Liverpool Champions League finalists for 2018 through their ability to combine lethal flair with relentless energy, Shaqiri’s a far more docile presence, closer to Mesut Ozil than Alexis Sanchez.

Last season, playing for a Stoke side that averaged just 44% possession and made the third-most tackles of any Premier League club, Shaqiri managed just 0.7 tackles per match. Playing for a Liverpool team that record 58% possession, Mane and Firmino averaged one tackle and 1.8 tackles per match respectively.

Quite a chasm. But in many ways, that’s the real genius of Liverpool’s swoop for the former Potters talisman – the fact he doesn’t fit the system at all – and it’s something a likeminded manager in Mauricio Pochettino can learn from. It seems a strange thing to say about a side that reached a European final and scored 84 Premier League goals, but there were times last season when Liverpool became painfully one dimensional.

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Carlos Carvalhal’s quip about putting a Formula 1 car in London traffic still rings true; when Liverpool are allowed to play at their speed in their style, they’re pretty much unstoppable. But when the opposition slow them down or force the game to be played around different dynamics, the Anfield outfit often come unstuck. See disappointing defeats or draws against Burnley, Newcastle, West Brom, Everton, Swansea and Stoke in the top flight alone for crucial evidence.

Tottenham have a similar kind of problem. When they can close down, press teams and break with speed, they can give any team in Europe a run for their money. When circumstances aren’t so accommodating and the challenge changes to unlocking a desperate defence though, Spurs don’t always find a way through.

While he may not encompass the ideals that have made Tottenham and Liverpool amongst the most exciting teams in the Premier League over the last few years, that’s what Shaqiri offers – the ability to unlock a defence, to do something uniquely special in tight spaces, to remove the backline from the equation entirely by ripping in a curler from long range – and through that modest relegation release clause he was certainly there for the taking this summer.

Perhaps that’s what the north Londoners see in Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish – he can jink past a defender, play a delicate pass or hit the net from distance too – but Shaqiri is the Premier League-proven model and one that cost Liverpool less than what Spurs will most likely have to pay for the promising young Englishman. £13million for Shaqiri, compared to a potential £30million-£40million for the Villa prodigy, at least according to the Championship club’s valuation.

And what this says about Liverpool and Klopp’s intentions for the new season shouldn’t be overlooked. Spending a world-record sum on a goalkeeper while bringing in two new central midfielders is statement enough of Liverpool’s intent, but signing Shaqiri suggests Klopp’s looking at the whole picture – not necessarily how to improve the Reds against the top teams, but how to give them the cutting edge against the clubs that always seem to get at their Achilles heel. It’s a 38-game multi-dimensional approach, and that’s what every club needs to sufficiently challenge for the title.

Suddenly, £13million seems like an incredibly small price to pay to solve those issues, and an incredibly big opportunity missed for Spurs. While Liverpool are completing signings to take them to the next level by increasing their consistency over a whole campaign, Tottenham remain just one of three Premier League clubs yet to make any signings this summer.

Should Spurs have swooped for Shaqiri? Let us know by voting below…

Newcastle should be back in the market for a centre midfielder after Mikel Merino departed the club.

The Spaniard spent last season on loan at St. James Park and made 24 appearances as the Magpies ended the campaign in tenth. Rafael Benitez triggered the clause in the contract to make his move permanent when the summer transfer window reopened. However, just weeks later, Merino was sold to Real Sociedad.

Benitez will be back in the market for a midfielder and has been linked with a move for the former star, Georginio Wijnaldum. Prising the Dutchman from Liverpool will prove costly, and Mike Ashley is surely unlikely to fund a deal with Wijnaldum’s wages totalling around £90,000-per-week.

Instead, the Magpies should target Zenit St Petersburg lynchpin – Leandro Paredes. Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, he joined the club last summer in a £20m deal for Roma. He instantly became a key player for Zenit, making 35 appearances in all competitions.

Paredes would be the ideal signing to bring the best out of Jonjo Shelvey. The defensive midfielder is the perfect deep-lying playmaker, picking up eight assists last season and averaging 2.4 key passes per game (WhoScored). He also chipped in with five goals for his side.

The Argentine is also a decent defender who reads the game exceptionally well – averaging 1.9 tackles per game last season. Paredes’ long passing is his biggest strength, no one in the Newcastle midfield averaged more than the 24-year-old.

If Newcastle could lure him from Russia, they would have the next Premier League star on their hands.

Newcastle fans, thoughts? 

Liverpool have not exactly been tightening the pursestrings this summer as they have spent more than £100m on new signings.

The Reds have recruited midfielder Fabinho from Monaco, as well as Stoke City attacker Xherdan Shaqiri.

Naby Keita arrived from RB Leipzig after agreeing to join Liverpool last summer, but the biggest deal for the club so far has been the capture of Roma goalkeeper Alisson.

BBC Sport claim that the Merseyside outfit made the 25-year-old the most expensive keeper in history by forking out £66.8m for his signature.

Despite witnessing their club spend heavy this summer, Liverpool fans have taken aim at local rivals Everton for splashing the cash on Watford winger Richarlison.

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The Toffees confirmed the Brazilian’s arrival on Tuesday, and BBC Sport reported that a £50m fee had been agreed, with £35m being paid initially.

Some Liverpool fans believe that Everton have paid over the odds for a winger who scored five goals and created five assists in 38 Premier League outings last season.

Plenty of supporters from the red half of Merseyside took to Twitter after the transfer was announced.

Liverpool are looking to win the Premier League title next season and have spent big sums this summer as they look to finally get their hands on England’s most prestigious prize.

With Jurgen Klopp at the helm and the likes of Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Allison all coming through the door this summer, expectations will be high amongst Reds fans, who are simply desperate to see success come to Anfield while the German is in charge.

Liverpool already have one of the best first XI’s in world football, and the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane are truly world class players, however, to succeed over the course of a campaign and compete on all fronts, squad depth is going to be key, so a few more additions might well be welcomed.

Experience is always a big keyword in winning teams, and we at the Transfer Tavern think they don’t come much more experienced than German World Cup winner Sami Khedira.

The Juventus ace, still valued at an impressive £22.5m by Transfermarkt, had a slow tournament over in Russia this summer, but the fact remains he is a quality performer on the highest level, and would be a superb addition for the Reds.

While Jordan Henderson impressed for England and new signing Keita is bound to bring a bundle of energy to the midfield, Khedira would bring with him a wealth of experience, knowhow, and a winning mentality which is needed to succeed at the top level.

At 31, he still has plenty in the tank, and after succeeding in both Spain and Italy, he could well fancy the move to the Premier League, making Liverpool the ideal destination.

Liverpool fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Crystal Palace are closing in on the capture of striker Munas Dabbur from Red Bull Salzburg, according to Estadio Deportivo.

What’s the word?

Roy Hodgson managed to guide the Eagles away from the relegation zone last season and finished 11th in the Premier League.

The priority will be to avoid a battle at the bottom, and the coach has recruited a number of players that can help them achieve their main objective.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Max Meyer recently moved to Selhurst Park, while goalkeeper Vicente Guaita is also a new face in the squad.

Now, according to Estadio Deportivo, Palace are hoping to win the race to sign Dabbur from Red Bull Salzburg.

Who is Dabbur?

The 26-year-old has been at the German club since 2016 following a switch from Grasshopper.

Dabbur – valued at £11.25m by Transfermarkt – has spent chunks of his career in Israel and Switzerland, but would be brand new to English football if he were to sign for Palace.

That is a risk for the Eagles, but they are targeting the striker after a very impressive season in which he netted 29 goals in all competitions.

Doubts remain over Wilfried Zaha’s future, but if Dabbur signs, he can take on part of the goal burden, which could make him a crucial part of Palace’s season.

The Israel international can also play just behind the striker or wide left.

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As per the club’s official website, Josh Windass has left Rangers after two years at the Scottish giants. The 24-year-old made the move to Ibrox back in 2016 after three years at Accrington Stanley, and the attacker certainly produced the goods during his time north of the border to thus earn a £2 million move to Championship side Wigan Athletic at the rear end of the English transfer window.  

Thus, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has lost one of his most influential players, but with the Scottish window open until August 31, he has time to find a replacement, and he could do a lot worse than seek to make an ambitious move for £4.5 million-rated ace Jason Puncheon (as per Transfermarkt). 

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while he wasn’t always a favourite of Rangers supporters, there is no doubting that the Light Blues will miss the contributions of 24-year-old Windass, who scored 19 goals and laid on 13 assists for the Gers in his two-year stint at Ibrox.

And while they are hardly ground-breaking figures, 18 goals and eight assists came last season to underline just how integral he was to the Scottish giants in their run to third place last time round – ultimately, he is somebody that needs replacing.

And with Roy Hodgson’s Palace having drafted in the very talented Max Meyer on a free transfer this summer, there’s a chance that Puncheon may not command regular football at Selhurst Park, and as such could be tempted by a move away.

The 32-year-old has been at the London club since making the move from Southampton back in 2014, in which time the winger has gone on to net 16 times and lay on 22 assists in 161 games for the Eagles.

Again, like Windass, they are not hugely impressive figures, but it’s also what Puncheon adds to the rest of the attacking unit that will be of keen interest to Gerrard, as the 32-year-old is excellent from the wide areas and retains the ball particularly well, allowing others to move off of him to create space.

The injury he suffered back at the start of the year, which subsequently kept him out for the rest of the season, is sure to be of concern to any prospective buyer, but given that Puncheon could probably still produce the goods at Premier League level, it would no doubt be an ambitious move to bring him to Ibrox. But one that is certainly worth making.

He’d without doubt be an asset for Gerrard in terms of brining vital quality and experience to the midfield ranks, as well as great versatility in being able to play centrally and indeed out wide, and as such he must seek to make a move for the Palace ace before the August 31 deadline.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Manchester United have made an approach to sign Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin according to Sky Sports’ live transfer blog (09/08 11:02).

What’s the story?

Jose Mourinho has been scouring the market for a central defender all summer, with Toby Alderweireld, Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng all linked with a move to Old Trafford.

With the transfer window nearing its end, it appears Ed Woodward is looking at drafting in Diego Godin in a last minute deal.

The 32-year-old has been at Atletico since 2010 and has amassed well over 200 appearances and he has garnered a reputation as a tough no-nonsense hardman that has formed the bedrock of his club’s defence.

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Late scramble

Manchester United have certainly left it late this summer to sort out the glaring problem in their squad that is their weak central defence.

Jose Mourinho said he was not confident that Ed Woodward would manage to bring anyone in before the end of the window, but if there’s a chance to sign Godin, they should snap him up.

Godin would fill the gap in defence and the Uruguay captain would provide much-needed steeliness and experience for Mourinho.

He is valued at £31.5million on Transfermarkt but with United running out of time, he’s worth every penny if he can solve a major issue and shore up the defence at Old Trafford.

Leeds United supporters have been making a lot of noise in the Transfer Tavern so far this season after seeing their side make a wonderful start to the 2018/19 Championship campaign.

There was huge amounts of optimism among Leeds fans over the summer following the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as the club’s new head coach, although the lack of signings in the immediate aftermath was something of a concern to those supporters. Yet the arrivals of Barry Douglas and Patrick Bamford somewhat reignited the positivity, as has their excellent start to the campaign in beating both Stoke City and Derby County, two sides that were tipped for promotion during pre-season.

Thus, there are many delighted and optimistic Leeds fans up and down the country at present, although having seen their side fail to sustain a promotion push in the last two seasons, some are hoping that they will add some more quality to their squad in the final weeks of the loan window.

And there is little doubt that the addition of £6.3 million-rated Premier League outcast Shane Long (as per Transfermarkt) could go some way to enhancing their obvious promotion credentials.

Ultimately, the 31-year-old looks to have fallen even further down the pecking order at Southampton following the summer arrival of Danny Ings, with it arguable that the Republic of Ireland international is now behind the likes of Ings, Charlie Austin, and Manolo Gabbiadini in the striking ranks.

And failing to make Mark Hughes’ matchday squad for their opening league match against Burnley last weekend is the clearest indication yet that Long is going to seriously struggle for regular football this term – regular football that he is more likely to get at Leeds.

The Whites didn’t finish the season as the lowest goal-scorers in the Championship last season, but Kemar Roofe and Pierre-Michel Lasogga were the only men to reach double figures last term to suggest that further reinforcements are probably needed in that department.

And while Bamford’s arrival will go some way to replacing Lasogga, whose loan spell from Hamburg ended at the end of last season, Bielsa may need further options to choose from as the long, hard slog of a Championship campaign begins to rear its head later in the season.

And while Long isn’t necessarily the most prolific of goal-scorers, his record in the Championship over the years is pretty impressive given he has netted 39 goals in 123 appearances at that level, all of which coming during his time at Reading.

Add in the fact that he was part of the Royals team that swept aside everyone in the second tier back in 2006, and the Irishman also has the know-how of getting the job done in winning promotion – something that could be invaluable in a Leeds squad that have got into positions to go up in the last two seasons, only for things to peter out as the season went on.

Thus, making a move for the out-of-favour Southampton striker could go some way to enhancing Leeds’ promotion credentials.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!