Category Uncategorized

Tottenham may have been handed a possible transfer boost in the hunt to sign Roma forward Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Graeme Bailey.

The Lowdown: Spurs make move…

Reliable reports in the last 48 hours have shared news of a Spurs proposal to sign the Italy international, coming after their repeated links last summer.

Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio first claimed that Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici personally made a proposal to sign Zaniolo on loan with an obligation to buy.

However, further updates then stated the offer was rejected by Jose Mourinho’s side with Spurs now looking in the hunt for another player alongside Sporting Lisbon wing-back Pedro Porro.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte oversaw a lacklustre 4-2 loss to Man City on Thursday evening after they managed to nick a 2-goal half time lead – a result which perhaps highlights their need to strengthen.

The Latest: Tottenham handed Zaniolo boost…

According to 90min reporter Graeme Bailey, writing on Twitter and for 90min, north London is ‘very much’ Zaniolo’s ‘preferred option’ over fellow signing competitors West Ham, Leeds, Leicester and Borussia Dortmund.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-updates-2/” title=”Tottenham latest updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

This could be a possible boost for Spurs as the player allegedly eyes a move to the club and, according to Bailey, it is believed ‘Conte is a huge fan of the player’.

The Verdict: Make the move?

Reports suggest, if Roma don’t want to loan him out, the asking price is €40 million (£35m) – a potential financial gamble on behalf of Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy.

Zaniolo has arguably been out of form under Mourinho this year – netting just one goal in 13 Serie A appearances this season.

However, while he is going through a damp patch, his form of last season indicates there is a player of real quality and huge potential in there.

As per WhoScored, over the 2021/2022 season, Zaniolo ranked in Roma’s top three for attempts at goal per 90 and bested all of his teammates for completed dribbles per 90 – not to mention he drew the most fouls in that time.

The numbers say, when at his best, he can be a tricky and creative player – something which is arguably needed for Spurs and Conte.

Recently lauded as having ‘tremendous talent and an amazing ability’ by members of the media, Zaniolo does possess the class – with the question being if he can turn it on in the Premier League.

Insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Harry Maguire could be a good signing for West Ham United amid recent links in the media.

What’s the latest?

It’s no secret that the Manchester United defender has been much maligned in recent times. As a result of his poor form, he has been dropped at club level, making just three Premier League starts all season.

With the January window now open, talks have begun to suggest that he could be on his way out of Manchester in the near future with the Hammers named as a possible destination.

Indeed, former England International Stuart Pearce told TalkSport: “If I was West Ham, if I was Newcastle, if I was Aston Villa, I’d be all over trying to get Harry Maguire out of there. I’d be asking the question whether he’s available.”

Amid all this, Ex has weighed in on the idea of a possible transfer. He told The West Ham Way podcast (8:37): “There was talk of Harry Maguire. You know, West Ham fans will laugh at that but I would take him.

“Not that I think that we need him with [Kurt] Zouma and [Nayef] Aguerd back but if [Craig] Dawson goes, possibly.”

Redemption arc

Before his move to the Red Devils, Maguire had established himself as one of England’s finest central defenders – hence the £80m transfer fee paid for him.

And while he all know how things have turned sour recently, he did remind plenty of his quality with his performances for the Three Lions at the World Cup.

With that in mind, it certainly seems plausible that he could rediscover some of his past best form if he leaves Man United and moved to the right club.

It remains to be seen if West Ham have any real interest in a deal but with Dawson long linked with an exit, perhaps the club will be in the market for a new centre-back in the near future.

Philippe Coutinho is likely to leave Aston Villa now that Unai Emery has replaced Steven Gerrard as manager, according to the club’s former striker Gabby Agbonlahor.

The Lowdown: Coutinho struggling for game-time

The Brazilian’s career has taken a nosedive since his time with Liverpool, having grown into arguably one of the best players in the Premier League at one point – he was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015.

Coutinho has been disappointing for Villa after a bright start during his loan spell in 2021/22, joining permanently during the summer but only starting six league games so far this season.

Recent reports have suggested that the 30-year-old could be sold by the Villans in January, with Emery not seeing him as a part of his plans.

The Latest: Coutinho could leave Villa

Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor claimed that Coutinho could depart Villa Park in favour of a fresh challenge, especially now that his ex-Liverpool team-mate Gerrard isn’t in charge in the Midlands.

The talkSPORT pundit said of the Brazilian playmaker:

“I don’t think he’s going to have the motivation. He missed out on the World Cup and that will have hurt him. The manager who brought him in, Steven Gerrard, has gone.

“It’s just not the same Coutinho who was at Liverpool. He didn’t do it at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. When Aston Villa signed him you thought ‘Can he get back to that level?’ but he’s just not the same player. Sometimes you are just not the same player, you don’t have the legs and can’t get around the pitch as much.

“I just don’t see him playing in that side. If you look at Emery’s tactics in the last game against Brighton, it was four centre-midfielders across the midfield with Buendia playing behind Ings.

“I just don’t see Coutinho getting game time. It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes to America or Brazil and plays the last bit of his career there.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-updates-5/” title=”Aston Villa latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Time to move on

It makes sense for everyone for Coutinho to leave in January, with the 30-year-old seemingly a shadow of the player he once was, simply not influencing matches as much anymore. That can be seen in how his WhoScored performance ratings have dwindled since his Liverpool days.

There was hope that he could be an inspired signing by Villa, raising the quality of those around him, but he instead looks like a player lacking the spark that he virtually guaranteed in previous years.

Selling Coutinho in January would free up a substantial portion of the Villans’ wage bill – the £125,000-a-week man is their third-highest earner – and free up funds to sign a younger replacement with greater long-term potential who could make more of an impact in 2023 and beyond.

Scottish champions Celtic currently have a few representatives at the ongoing World Cup, with the likes of Aaron Mooy, Josip Juranovic, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda all having been selected by their respective national sides.

The latter man was something of a surprise pick as the only member of the Hoops’ Japanese contingent to be included on the plane to Qatar, with both Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate having been notable omissions from Hajime Moriyasu’s squad.

Hatate, in particular, can seemingly count himself unlucky amid his sparkling form at Parkhead in recent times, with the 25-year-old having emerged as a leading asset for manager Ange Postecoglou since his January arrival.

The former Kawasaki Frontale man – who scored 12 goals and laid on ten assists during his time in his homeland – has been on the periphery of the international fold in his career thus far, having been afforded just a solitary cap at senior level to date.

Despite that inexperience for his country, the diminutive ace seemingly could well have made a difference had he been part of the World Cup list, having been simply “tremendous” during his time in Glasgow to date, in the words of pundit Frank McAvennie.

Dubbed the “best signing” made by Postecoglou in his tenure thus far – as per McAvennie – the £12k-per-week maestro has scored six times and laid on seven assists in 41 games in all competitions for the Bhoys to date, notably producing two assists in the comeback win over Ross County last time out prior to this current halt to proceedings.

The 5 foot 8 ace has perhaps shown Japan just what they are missing having also gone on to impress during the Sydney Super Cup clash with Everton, with journalist Sacha Pisani having dubbed him a “beast in midfield” following that display.

Pisani also commented on Hatate’s World Cup snub, suggesting that the player could well go on to become the “heart of that team moving forward”, while the aforementioned McAvennie suggested that the Asian nation must have “one hell of a midfield” if they are to able to leave the Hoops ace out the side.

In his absence, Moriyasu’s side went on to stun 2014 champions Germany late on in their opening group game, although were brought crashing back down to earth after slipping up against Costa Rica on matchday two.

Following that dismal showing, journalist Josh Bunting expressed his belief that Hatate could well have made a real difference had he been selected, stating: “baffles me that Reo Hatate isn’t in that squad to break the lines.”

Bunting had also suggested that it was “insane” that the Suzuka-born ace had been left out of the travelling party to begin with, with such a decision potentially set to prove costly as far as Japan are concerned if they are unable to secure progression.

As for Celtic, the Scottish Premiership side will likely be thankful that the player has been able to enjoy a well-earned rest after putting in an “enormous shift” in recent months – according to Postecoglou – with Hatate likely to be chomping at the bit to show his quality once again when club action resumes next month.

West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Inter Milan full-back Robin Gosens. 

The Lowdown: West Ham’s previous transfer window

The summer transfer window saw the Hammers add several new players to their squad, including defensive figures in the shape of Nayef Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri.

After 14 games in the Premier League, only four clubs have conceded fewer goals than West Ham (15), but just three teams have scored fewer than David Moyes’ side (12).

With that in mind, it appears that the east Londoners have their eyes on signing a player who could help them out at both ends of the pitch.

The Latest: Interest in Gosens

According to a recent report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, West Ham have eyes on signing Inter full-back Gosens, who will be hopeful of featuring in Germany’s World Cup squad for the upcoming tournament in Qatar.

The report also stated that fellow Premier League side Leicester City have an interest in the player as well.

The Verdict: Could be useful for West Ham

Bearing in mind how the 28-year-old has only started in four of his 16 appearances for Inter this season across the Champions League and Serie A, it’s safe to say that he isn’t a particularly crucial player for them.

That could give West Ham a good chance of signing the player, who has been praised for his “outstanding” performances for Germany in the past by journalist Stefan Bienkowski, if they would be able to give him regular playing time.

Having played as a left wing-back this season, Gosens has won more tackles (eight) than any other Inter player in the Champions League, while also getting all three of his attempts at goal on target.

This highlights how effective the £77k-per-week wizard can be in a defensive and attacking sense, which would certainly make him a useful addition to West Ham’s squad given their struggles this season.

Glasgow Rangers turn their attention back to the Champions League tonight as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side host Ajax at Ibrox in their final match of the group stages.

The Light Blues have no chance of making the knockout stages of the competition and it would take a huge scoreline to move above the Dutch side and into third, as they are 11 goals better off on goal difference.

The Dutchman’s team have lost all five of their matches in the Champions League so far and have been outscored by 19 goals to one, with Napoli and Liverpool the other two sides competing in the group.

The Gers head into the game off the back of a 4-1 win over Aberdeen in the Premiership last weekend, as Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, Alfredo Morelos and James Tavernier scored the goals to send the club into this clash with a crumb of confidence.

One player who will be unavailable for selection against the Dutch giants, however, is left-back Ridvan Yilmaz. He pulled up with a hamstring injury within the first ten minutes against the Dons and is now set to be out of action for a couple of weeks.

The full-back, who Ross Wilson dubbed “exciting” in the summer, had finally won his place in the starting XI as it was his third start in four games in all competitions.

Van Bronckhorst, unfortunately, must now forget about the former Besiktas man and unleash Croatia international Borna Barisic from the start against Ajax.

The £18k-per-week engine should come in at left-back instead of a change to a back three and an attacking player being moved to wing-back or another player coming in as a makeshift option.

Ex-Gers man Neil McCann once claimed the defender is “like a train” in attack, whilst covering a match for the BBC, and his statistics suggest that there is indeed no stopping him when he gets going.

In the Premiership, Barisic has assisted four goals and created six ‘big chances’ from left-back in 12 appearances, whilst creating 1.8 chances per game. This shows that he is capable of providing a huge threat down the left flank, despite playing in defence, as he has consistently created opportunities for his teammates to score from.

He has shown glimpses of being able to replicate this on the continental stage, with 1.0 key passes per match in the group stages, and he must now be thrown back into the starting line-up tonight to see if he can create something out of nothing to salvage at least a point out of the group.

North East reporter for The Daily Mail Craig Hope has shared the latest injury news from Newcastle United involving Joelinton, and it’s what Magpies fans were hoping to hear.

The Lowdown: Pain troubles

Joelinton was taken off at half-time in the St. James’ Park outfit’s 1-0 win at home to Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

The Brazilian was replaced by Joe Willock after picking up a suspected knee injury in the first half, and concerns were heightened given there were reports of the player suffering ‘considerable pain’.

The Latest: Joelinton ‘fine’

Taking to Twitter, Hope shared a significant post-game update from Eddie Howe on Joelinton, claiming that ‘he will be fine’ for their next match away at Tottenham Hotspur, after picking up a ‘knock’ against the Toffees:

“Joelinton took a knock to his knee, but Eddie Howe hopes he will be fine for weekend.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Boost

It is certainly a boost for the Toon Army to know that Joelinton’s injury is seemingly not serious, and that he should be able to play a part against Spurs.

The 26-year-old has been the Tynesiders’ fifth-best performer in the top flight so far this season, picking up one assist and one man-of-the-match award, while he has also ranked highly among his team-mates in terms of average shots, aerial duels won, tackles, interceptions, clearances, key passes, dribbles, crosses and through balls per game (WhoScored).

In his new midfield role, Joelinton simply does a little bit of everything for his side, and there is no doubt that the Magpies are a better team when he is playing.

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘confident’ of securing a deal for James Maddison in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Leicester double swoop?

The St James’ Park outfit registered interest in both the 25-year-old and his Leicester City team-mate Youri Tielemans in the summer.

They reportedly put in an official bid for the Englishman, which was rejected by the Foxes, while they were linked with a late swoop for the Belgian on Transfer Deadline Day.

The Latest: Maddison confidence

Taking to Twitter, journalist Owen O’Brien has revealed that Newcastle are now ‘confident’ of securing a January deal for Maddison, who has rejected another contract offer from Brendan Rodgers’ side, while the Magpies also ‘remain interested’ in Tielemans.

The Medium reporter tweeted: “Newcastle are confident of completing a January deal for James Maddison – Understand the 25yo has rejected another contract proposal from Leicester – Newcastle also remain interested in Youri Tielemans.”

The Verdict: Get both in!

Getting both Maddison and Tielemans through the door would not only strengthen Newcastle, but also significantly weaken one of their fellow Premier League rivals as well.

The latter’s contract expires in the summer, so signing a player of his quality and experience in January – possibly for a cut-price fee if his contract situation isn’t resolved – would be a real bargain.

Meanwhile, Maddison could really make a difference in the middle of the park, bagging three goals and one assist in the Premier League in a struggling Leicester side, for whom he currently ranks as the best-performing player in the top flight, just ahead of…Tielemans (WhoScored).

Signing both players from the King Power Stadium would send out a real statement of intent from PIF to the rest of the Premier League.

Leeds United are plotting another ‘push’ for PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo in January, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown

The Whites agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old in the final days of the summer transfer window and even outbid Premier League competitors Southampton, but they were unable to pull off the transfer.

Leeds’ sporting director Victor Orta even flew out to the Netherlands for talks and hoped to bring Gakpo back him with on his private jet, but PSV ultimately refused to sell the Dutchman, a stance that the Yorkshire club hope will change in time for January.

Only three top-flight clubs – Nottingham Forest (21), Fulham (11) and Southampton (10) – signed more players than Leeds during the summer transfer window, with the Whites shelling out just under £100m on eight new arrivals.

The latest

Romano took to Twitter to share the news about Gakpo, who he cited as Leeds ‘main target’ for the winter transfer window. Their plan is already in motion, but the Italian cautioned that there will be plenty of rival suitors for the PSV star.

Romano tweeted: “Leeds are planning to push again for Cody Gakpo in January, after crazy change on Deadline Day. He’s the main target… but there will be lot of competition.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-50/” title=”Latest Leeds United news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The verdict

Gakpo’s form in the early part of the season shows why the race for his signature will be so intense.

In 10 matches across all competitions, he has been directly involved in 13 goals (scored seven, set up six) and averaged a goal contribution every 60 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, he tops the early tables in the Eredivisie for shots, goals and assists (via FBRef).

It’s hard to disagree with the assessment of The Athletic’s Carl Anka that the Dutch ‘playmaker’ (to quote European football expert Alex Barker) would be a ‘huge’ signing for Leeds, if they can finally land him in January.

Ben Jacobs has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Ollie Watkins.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the CBS Sport journalist stated his belief that, despite a number of reports linking Victor Orta with a move for the Aston Villa centre-forward this summer, there is little to suggest that the Whites would be able to get a deal for the 26-year-old over the line prior to next week’s transfer deadline.

However, Jacobs went on to suggest that, should there in fact be an underlying tension between the England international and Steven Gerrard – as has been reported – the Spanish director of football could yet see an opportunity arise to move for the striker, before the journalist stated his belief that Watkins’ arrival would excite the Elland Road faithful.

Regarding Leeds’ reported interest in the Villa forward, Jacobs said: “I think Ollie Watkins is the one that would excite Leeds fans the most, but there’s nothing to suggest that they can get a deal done quickly.

“Between now and when the window closes – unless these Villa denials are more PR [and] there is an underlying tension and Watkins does want a fresh challenge at that point – perhaps Leeds will see a window of opportunity to capitalise.”

“Unbelievable” signing

With Orta’s bid to add a new centre-forward to Jesse Marsch’s attacking arsenal at Elland Road prior to the closure of the summer transfer window being well known, should the Spaniard manage to pull off a deal for Watkins in the coming days, the argument that it would be an unbelievable signing for the Whites is an easy one to make.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and so much more!”]

Indeed, following his £28m move from Brentford back in 2020, the £31.5m-rated talent made an immediate impact for Villa over 37 Premier League fixtures in 2020/21, scoring 14 goals, registering five assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots – 1.2 of which hit the target – making 1.2 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £75k-per-week forward followed this campaign up with another impressive haul over his 35 league fixtures in 2021/22, bagging 11 goals, providing two assists and creating four big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.2 shots – 0.9 of which hit the target – making one key pass and completing 1.1 dribbles per outing.

For context, those returns would appear to better that of Bamford, who registered an equal 2.2 shots but only managed 0.6 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game as he struggled in a number of metrics.

Yet again, the player who Justin Allen dubbed “deadly” and Dean Smith labelled “unbelievable” has caught the eye over his three Premier League appearances so far this season, with Watkins proving himself to be a well-rounded striker that would benefit Marsch enormously.

Indeed, he has already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots – 0.7 of which hit the target – making one key pass and completing 0.3 dribbles per fixture.

As such, while it is true that Watkins’ reported £50m asking price does look rather steep, considering just how consistent a goalscorer, assist provider and chance creator the seven-cap international has proven himself to be in the Premier League compared to Bamford, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for the 26-year-old prior to September’s transfer deadline, he would indeed appear to make an unbelievable addition to Marsch’s current attacking options at Leeds.