Benteke, who leads MLS with 17 goals, is set to stay in Washington, D.C. through the end of next season
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A player who Tottenham have "sat down at the table" for is now dreaming of a move to England, according to reports this week.
After a positive debut season in charge for Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, one of the key priorities for technical director Johan Lange and the recruitment team this summer is bringing in another avenue of attacking threat.
£63m ace will never play for Tottenham again as he joins five-man exodus
A lot of Spurs players could leave this summer.
By
Emilio Galantini
Apr 19, 2024
Son Heung-min and Richarlison lead the way in terms of goals for Tottenham, with Timo Werner arriving on loan from RB Leipzig in January to further bolster Postecoglou's attacking options.
Werner has impressed Spurs staff with his application behind the scenes, and some reports suggest that Tottenham are very likely to make his deal permanent for around £15 million, as is the option-to-buy clause in his deal.
However, there are some concerns that Werner isn't exactly proficient enough to be a long-term solution for Spurs, and the 28-year-old has been criticised for spurning too many chances.
|
Timo Werner's stats for Tottenham since joining in January |
Numbers (via WhoScored) |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Shots at goal per 90 |
2.4 |
|
Key passes made per 90 |
1.3 |
As such, even if Tottenham do opt to make him a permanent player for next season, widespread reports indicate another wide attacker or striker could join Postecoglou's side when the transfer window reopens.
“Look, a player they appreciate for a long time is Raphinha from Barcelona. We know the financial situation at Barcelona is not easy, so he could be one of the names. They will look at that kind of player," said reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano to JD Football late last month.
"Another player they appreciate is Pedro Neto, but he has this issue with his injuries, so I’m not sure Liverpool, Tottenham or the other clubs following the player will be prepared to play big money for Pedro Neto this summer. That kind of player is the priority for Tottenham, I see them going for that kind of winger, a quality player to help with goals and assists."
A relatively cheap option they've been heavily linked with is £26 million Genoa star Albert Gudmundsson, who's bagged an impressive 13 goals and three assists in 30 Serie A starts over 2023/2024.
Tuttosport claimed earlier this week that Tottenham have "sat down at the table" to discuss signing Gudmundsson, and they've shared another update following on from this.
According to the Italian newspaper, as relayed by Sport Witness, Gudmundsson dreams of a move to England after Spurs' discussions, and this could give them a real advantage over transfer competitors Inter Milan and Juventus.
An Icelandic international, the 26-year-old's rumoured price tag could be a particularly big draw for Spurs, and perhaps Fabio Paratici's contacts in Italy could help to secure any potential deal. The north Londoners also already boast a good relationship with Genoa, having signed Radu Dragusin from them in the winter.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says selling Scott McTominay is a "gamble" and that teams need players of his ilk to win the Premier League.
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Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has open up on the role he wants Joao Felix to play following his move from Atletico Madrid this week.
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Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has revealed that Celtic are ‘closely monitoring’ Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis ahead of a potential move to the Scottish Premiership this summer.
As per the Premier League club’s official website, the 20-year-old is an academy graduate of the Sky Blues after first joining at the age of just six. He’s worked his way up through the ranks, having been part of the U18s squad before being handed his senior first-team debut in 2020 in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Preston North End.
The £6.3m-rated centre-back spent the second half of last season out on loan in the English second tier with Stoke City, and having impressed during his spell with the Potters, appears to have caught the eye of multiple potential suitors, including the Hoops.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph revealed that Celtic still want to add another centre-back to their ranks, despite securing Cameron Carter-Vickers, and says that Harwood-Bellis could be the man. He said:
“I think after getting Carter-Vickers, Celtic would like to add another centre-back, because I’d imagine they feel Jullien may leave, or may need to take time before he gets back to first-team level. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is someone who they’re closely monitoring.”
Even though Harwood-Bellis is still at a very young age, he looks to be an exciting prospect and already has plenty of experience under his belt, making him a player that would slot nicely into Ange Postecoglou’s defence.
Standing at 6 foot 2, not only does the Stockport-born talent have the physicality required to jump into the senior game full pelt, but he also uses his presence smartly, having averaged 3.5 clearances and 1.9 interceptions per game for Stoke last term, via WhoScored.
The City starlet is additionally a regular feature in England’s U21s side, having captained the Three Lions in their recent European Championship Qualifiers, showing that he has natural leadership qualities, an attribute that would be the perfect addition to the Bhoys’ starting XI or squad.
In other news… Celtic could now be planning a loan-to-buy deal to sign one of their transfer targets.
Everton have recently been tipped to make a move for Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao, but the statistics suggest that he would be no better than Michael Keane in Frank Lampard’s side next season.
According to Mirror journalist Rich Jones, the Toffees are considering a move for the Brazilian centre-back this summer as they look to amend some of their defensive frailties ahead of next season.
Lampard’s side shipped 66 goals in the top-flight last term, the fifth-worst of any team in the Premier League, so defensive improvements must be made if the Toffees are to avoid another relegation battle next time around.
However, they might be better off looking elsewhere for new defensive options, as Becao’s form in recent seasons does little to support any claims that he would be a success in the Premier League.
Last season saw the Brazilian make 35 appearances in Serie A, in which he contributed two goals and one assist, averaging a disappointing 6.65 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Despite some horrible displays from Keane last term, with the red card against West Ham and his own-goal-stained performance in the 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur springing to mind, he still managed more goals and assists and a better WhoScored rating in the Premier League than Becao in Serie A.
Keane also contributed more interceptions, blocks, clearances and successful headers per game than Becao, so it seems strange that Everton are reportedly keen on signing the 26-year-old.
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Considering that the Toffees have reportedly secured the signing of James Tarkowski on a free transfer from Burnley, they would surely be better off strengthening in other positions, rather than arguably wasting money on the £5.4m-rated Becao.
It is difficult to see what the Udinese man, who has been labelled “insurmountable” in the past by Brazilian journalist Bruno Queiroz, would offer Lampard next season if the Everton boss wants to make improvements in defence, as all the statistics suggest that the 43-year-old would be better off persevering with Keane.
In other news… Dele Alli 2.0: Everton plotting swoop for “average” £20m dud, supporters will be fuming
Journalist Dean Jones has shared his view on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ potential interest in Benfica striker, Haris Seferovic…
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the trusted insider has raised the hopes of the Molineux faithful after suggesting that they should “get excited” about a possible move, following a viral image that showed manager Bruno Lage meeting with the Switzerland international.
Although it is unclear if that was related to a possible move, Jones has suggested that it would do no harm for supporters to be optimistic: “I see it both ways. I can see why they would defend it and say there’s nothing in it, but if you’re a Wolves fan, then you might as well get excited about it because there hasn’t been much to get excited about over the course of the last six months.”
The 30-year-old had previously been linked with a switch to the Midlands last summer, having played under the Wolves boss during their time together in Portugal.
That connection has been the centre of the speculation regarding the forward’s potential move to England, with the pair having won the league title together during the 2018/19 season for the Lisbon outfit, after Lage had taken charge midway through the campaign.
That season would see Seferovic net 27 times in all competitions – including 23 goals in the league – notably netting twice in a remarkable 10-0 thrashing of Nacional, as Benfica ended the campaign with a joint-club record of 103 league goals.
That is a far cry from Lage’s current side who scored just 38 top-flight goals last term – the fourth-worst record in the division – with the Old Gold seemingly crying out for a prolific presence to lead the line.
Although the former Eintracht Frankfurt man did enjoy a poor campaign of his own last time out – with just five goals in 15 games in all competitions – that was largely due to frustrating spells out with injury, having previously netted 22 league goals the year prior.
Equally, at international level he also boasts a solid record with 24 goals in 85 caps, notably netting a hat-trick in a 5-2 thrashing of Belgium in 2018, while he also bagged a double in the thrilling 3-3 draw with France at last summer’s European Championships.
Such talent has seen him dubbed a “monster” by one journalist, while former coach Ottmar Hitzfield also previously labelled him a “full-blooded centre-forward”, as he can also add a physical quality to his finishing prowess.
With doubts over the future of Raul Jimenez, Seferovic could be the ideal man to come into the side to fill the void, with Lage needing to reunite with the £7.2m-rated gem this summer to help solve Wolves’ attacking woes.
As Jones suggested, it could well be time for supporters to start getting excited, even if it is all just speculation at present.
IN other news, Lage plots Wolves bid for £34.1m gem who’s “one of the best”, imagine him and Palhinha
Celtic are interested in signing Aberdeen youngster Connor Barron in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.
It was a superb 2021/22 season for the Hoops, with Ange Postecoglou guiding his team to Premiership and Scottish League Cup glory.
The key thing now is to build on that success, with funds available for new signings after sealing Champions League group stage qualification for next season.
While established names may be required in order to make Postecoglou’s squad stronger, it could be that emerging young talent also comes in at Parkhead.
According to The Scottish Daily Express, Celtic have ‘run the rule’ over Aberdeen midfielder Barron, having sent scouts to watch him in action for Scotland’s under-21s.
Postecoglou is believed to have been ‘impressed’ with the 19-year-old in the past 12 months, having made a total of 15 appearances for the Dons.
Barron has been hailed as a ‘brilliant’ and ‘brave’ player by his manager Jim Goodwin, and he is someone who could be an exciting prospective signing for Celtic.
Having young homegrown talent in the squad is always something which should be the case at Parkhead, and the 19-year-old could come in as a future midfield star, initially a fringe player to provide backup before growing into a crucial first-team figure over the years.
It is vital that Postecoglou sees this as a long-term project over many years, and signing players of Barron’s ilk could play a big role in ensuring that Celtic have a core group who could form the backbone of the team well into the future.
In other news, Celtic have reportedly ‘set their sights’ on one player. Find out who it is here.
Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold was one of the first to react on Twitter to news that right-back Emerson Royal was a victim in an attempted armed robbery.
The Brazilian first made the switch to the Premier League when he joined the Lilywhites on a five-year contract from Spanish giants Barcelona for a fee believed to be £25.8m. He has since made 41 appearances in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side during his first season in north London.
News was broken by football.london reporter Rob Guest that in the early hours of Friday morning, the 23 year-old defender had successfully managed to escape an attempted armed robbery.
The article states that there were ’29 shots fired’ between police and the assailant, but the Spurs star has assured people that he is safe and well and will speak out about the incident soon.
In a new post on his personal Twitter account, Gold reacted to the shocking revelation he’d heard involving Emerson and wrote:
“This sounds horrible. Thank goodness Emerson is ok.”
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It will come as hugely positive news to not just his family and friends, but also to everyone associated with Tottenham to know that the six-cap international is unharmed.
The £22.5m-rated starlet has been a regular feature in Conte’s starting XI this season, making 31 top-flight outings, scoring one goal and providing one assist during that time, via Transfermarkt.
Royal is said to have returned to his home country for a short break following the conclusion of the season, but will obviously now need to be given the appropriate time to recover from the incident before even considering making a return to the football pitch ahead of the start of the new term.
In other news… Fabio Paratici has reportedly opened talks over the possibility of signing a ‘scary’ new player.
Manchester United have begun their new chapter under Erik ten Hag and are said be vying for the signature of Villarreal defender Pau Torres.
That is according to Marca, via Sport Witness, who have stated in their latest report that the Old Trafford side are the club that yearns “most strongly” to sign the Spaniard.
It is said that Ten Hag has requested a centre-back who is comfortable on the ball, with the club believing that 25-year-old Torres “fits perfectly” into the 52-year-old’s plans.
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As per the report, Manchester United are “willing to pay up to €50m (£42.5m)” for the defender, which has placed them ahead of the competition.
The 25-year-old’s agents reportedly “plan to travel to Manchester this week” to negotiate contract details, as long as United “can reach an understanding” with the Yellow Submarine.
Since the departure of Daley Blind, who ironically returned back to Ajax to garner even more success playing under Ten Hag, United have lacked a natural left-footed central defender.
Like Pep Guardiola recently, the Dutchman is an advocate of natural centre-backs who fit into one of the two positions in a four-at-the-back set-up which means Torres is someone he’d love to sign.
With the way that both coaches seek to achieve mass possession, the centre-backs effectively become the midfield base in possession, so ball-playing defenders whose foot is suited to their respective position in the backline can offer stability.
Torres can be that option for Ten Hag, and with the latest news stating their yearn to sign the Spaniard, it looks as though United understand the importance of the Villarreal man too.
The 25-year-old’s numbers in possession over the last year would see him become the most esteemed ball-playing centre-back among the United squad, with his average of 4.64 progressive carries, 1.04 carries into the final third, 4.31 progressive passes, and 6.70 passes under pressure just some of the metrics that would drastically improve the United backline, whilst predictably toppling both Raphael Varane’s and Harry Maguire’s numbers.
Based on that, it’s hardly a surprise to see the defender dubbed “extraordinary” by former Villarreal player and coach Javi Calleja.
With six goal contributions this season in La Liga, in the form of five goals and one assist, Torres is fully established in possession and has scored more goals than the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani this season.
United could pull off a masterclass with a signing like Torres in what would be a fierce statement of intent towards the rest of the Premier League.
In other news: Offer made: Man United have submitted bid to sign £85.4m “lion”, he’s Lewandowski 2.0