League One and Two news and rumours: Former Sunderland striker criticised | Tottenham monitoring Southend starlet | Charlton working on fresh contracts

Portsmouth boss Kenny JackettPortsmouth boss Kenny Jackett
Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett
Here's the latest rumours and news from League One and Two on Friday, March 8, 2019.

Sunderland duo Robbin Ruiter and Glenn Loovens have criticised ex-loanee Lewis Grabban following his loan spell on Wearside last season.

Grabban, a hot topic of the 'Sunderland 'Till I Die' series, was captured saying the Black Cats 'wasn't for him' when he began to be substituted by then-manager Chris Coleman.

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And while the striker insists he was recalled by Bournemouth rather than choosing to leave for Aston Villa, he doesn't paint a happy picture of his time on Wearside.

Ruiter sat next to Grabban in the club's dressing room and has now revealed how the loanee affected the dressing room morale while Loovens also chipped in.

Read what the interesting stuff the pair said HEREMeanwhile, Jack Ross and Aiden McGeady have been crowned the League One Manager and Player of the Month, respectively.

Barnsley assistant head coach Dale Tonge is hopeful the Football Association will see sense and not hit Cameron McGeehan with a three-game ban.

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The midfielder, who has scored five goals this season, was charged by the FA on Wednesday for violent conduct following an incident during Saturday’s win at Southend.

McGeehan was shown on camera allegedly clashing with a Southend player in the 54th minute, an incident that was missed by the officials.

The Reds have appealed against the charge but if they fail, McGeehan is likely to miss crucial games against Accrington Stanley, Sunderland and Doncaster Rovers.

You can read what Tonge told the Sheffield Star HERETottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Southend United starlet Charlie Kelman as they look to beat West Ham United to his signature, Football Insider understands.

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The 17-year-old has gone to make five appearances in League One this term, where his debut included a stunning goal from the halfway line in January.

West Ham have been leading the chase for the USA under-18s international, however Spurs have built tracks in recent weeks after sending scouts to cast an eye on him.

Mauricio Pochettino's men, alongside the Hammers, view Kelman as a potential star in the making and are ready to test Southend’s resolve to hang onto their prize asset this summer.

Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has revealed Anfernee Dijksteel is close to signing a new deal while they remain in talks with Joe Aribo.

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Dijksteel and Aribo are the club’s priority in terms of tying down to new deals having both featured predominantly for the Addicks this season.

Aribo, in particular, has stood out having attracted interest from clubs higher up the Football League pyramid with his contract set to expire in the summer.

“Anfernee is close to signing a new deal,” Bowyer told News Shopper. “Joe Aribo, we are still working on that.”

Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett will continue to field Nathan Thompson despite shelving talks over a new contract.

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The 28-year-old has drawn criticism from some sections of the Pompey support with his current set to expire on June 30.

Jackett has praised the defender’s ‘honesty’ over intentions to wait until the summer before assessing his Fratton Park future.

And in the meantime, he has no qualms retaining Thompson in his starting 11.

Read what Jackett had to say in full HERECrawley Town midfielder Filipe Morais has been ruled out of Reds’ home game on Saturday against Grimsby Town with illness.

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Morais is suffering from an infection following a bout of ‘flu and forced him to miss their recent games against Macclesfield Town and MK Dons.

Luton Town loanee Luke Gambin is back in training following a nerve problem in his leg which has caused him to miss the last three matches.

Reds’ only other absentee is the long-standing knee injury victim Jimmy Smith as Gabriele Cioffi expects to choose from an otherwise full squad.

Newport County striker Padraig Amond has named in the Republic of Ireland's 38-man provisional squad ahead of their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers.

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Amond - scorer of 21 goals in all competitions this season, including five in the Exiles' memorable FA Cup run - is one of three players in the 38-man provisional squad who have been handed their first senior call-up for the qualifying matches against Gibraltar and Georgia.

The 30-year-old said: "I have dreamed of this happening for as long as I can remember and when I found out earlier in the week (that he was in the squad) it was a special, special moment."

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