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Alasdair Gold has dropped a big claim on Tottenham Hotspur’s imminent transfer plans this week…

What’s the word?

The ever-reliable football.london reporter delivered a fresh update on the current situation in north London to supporters on his YouTube channel, where he hinted that business was likely to happen in the very near future.

He said:

“I’m led to believe that maybe towards the end of this week, definitely next week, we’re going to see a lot of movement at Tottenham Hotspur.

“Because it has to happen. [Nuno] Espirito Santo has to have more of a settled idea of what his squad is going to look like.”

An exciting claim

Spurs have been linked to an array of names and it is even thought that they are closing in on around four different signings.

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that the Premier League side are in advanced talks with Atalanta duo Pierluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero, as well as Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bryan Gil.

And this is the way Italian supremo Fabio Paratici reportedly likes to operate – by opening negotiations with several different options before finalising a select few.

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But with the season less than a month away and the transfer window also drawing to a close in August, it’s time to see some official moves made.

Of the names mentioned above, three of them are of a defensive nature, which suggests that Paratici is prepared to instantly fix Spurs’ biggest problem – their backline.

A combination of individual mistakes and a lack of leadership contributed to the Lilywhites recording the worst defensive record of any of the traditional big six. Even arch-rivals Arsenal conceded fewer goals and they finished one place behind in the standings.

Therefore, it’s one hugely encouraging step that three of the four potential signings are of a defensive nature.

Gold’s latest claim adds further excitement and substance to the rumours and this should leave the Spurs faithful absolutely buzzing as a result.

AND in other news, Paratici could break Spurs’ club-record to sign 29-cap “warrior”, he’s way better than Lo Celso…

Levante winger Jorge de Frutos is a very raw player, La Liga expert Euan McTear has warned amid Premier League interest.

The Spaniard has admirers in England, with the Sunday Mirror (via The Boot Room) reporting earlier this year that Southampton have been in touch with his agent over a transfer.

De Frutos had a bright 2020/21 campaign, scoring four goals and providing nine assists for Levante in La Liga.

It makes him an attractive proposition for Southampton or any team looking to bolster their wide options this summer. However, despite being 24, McTear has warned De Frutos is still quite raw due to his football upbringing.

“His story is interesting,” the Spanish football expert told FFC. “He didn’t play organised football until he was 16. He grew up on like a farm.

“He’s a very raw player because he’s not come up with that polished sort of way that so many players do, especially in Spain now. Almost every club has the same kind of youth coaching, philosophy, methodology, whatever you call it.

“He didn’t do that, so he’s very raw. That’s good, sometimes bad.”

Even so, bringing in someone like De Frutos looks like a good idea for Southampton. The Saints’ current crop of wingers, the likes of Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo, have not been the most productive players in attack.

In fact, the latter failed to register a single assist in the Premier League last season, so there is definitely room for improvement in that area of the pitch.

As confirmed by the club in an official announcement, West Ham United have sold young forward Oladapo Afolayan to Bolton Wanderers following his loan spell there as a consistent regular – and many Irons supporters are livid after this development.

The 23-year-old was shipped out to the University of Bolton Stadium on loan for the second half of 2020/21, where he managed to turn heads under manager Ian Evatt.

Helping Bolton to achieve promotion from League Two, the Trotters were seemingly impressed enough to make his temporary spell permanent, with Afolayan now cutting his ties with West Ham.

Making just one senior appearance for the Hammers back in January, Afolayan bagged his debut goal in that game as West Ham thumped Doncaster Rovers 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round (whufc.com).

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The striker also impressed for West Ham’s under-23s, scoring nine goals and setting up five others in 32 Premier League 2 outings (Transfermarkt).

Afolayan’s potential appeared to excite many Irons supporters, who are now livid with the decision to sell him so soon – check out some of their verdicts on the announcement below.

West Ham fans horrified by Afolayan sale

“I actually find it crazy how these young talents don’t even get a look in with the first team.

We have now lost another kid who could have been a superstar”

Credit: @lozza3man

“Pain“

Credit: @WHUalfiee_

“Crazy decision”

Credit: @tonyclarke1

“Another exceptionally good young player we have lost. Going into Europe we need this talent. Why buy players who don’t fit in when we already have the quality here.”

Credit: @claretandblu1

“Why can we never keep hold of our promising youngsters”

Credit: @littlelegsessex

“Wasted talent”

Credit: @cayz03

“Shame, I thought he could have been given more of a chance in the first team at some point, makes you laugh squad is paper thin and we are always happy to let players go”

Credit: @JackPar78026231

In other news: ExWHUemployee lifts lid on enticing GSB transfer plan for West Ham, find out more here.

Rangers must avoid a grave error with Ryan Kent following Michael Ball’s transfer claim about him perhaps being tempted to make a move away from Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

Former Rangers defender Michael Ball has suggested that Ryan Kent could be tempted to quit the club this summer to move to the Premier League with Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United.

Ball has claimed that Leeds have shown an interest in Kent and that the pull of the Premier League could entice Kent into a switch down south away from Glasgow.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“When you have a good year, you want to capitalise and get better terms and Leeds have shown an interest and it’s a huge pull to come back into the Premier League.”

According to the Scottish Sun, Rangers rejected an £11m bid from Leeds in the summer of 2020 and the Premier League club has retained an interest in the winger. The report was published in April of this year, with Leeds said to be considering a £15m offer for Kent this summer.

Back in 2019, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hailed the “wonderful” winger after he impressed in a friendly for the Premier League side. He told Liverpool TV, as transcribed by Leeds Live:

“He is a wonderful kid, a wonderful player.”

Grave error

Selling Kent this summer would constitute a grave error for the club. Rangers must avoid cashing in on him now as they could be on the verge of starting something special. The Gers sealed their first top-flight title in a decade this year and now need to build on their success, rather than dismantling their excellent team and rebuilding ahead of next season, which is what would need to happen if Kent left the club.

Rangers should be attempting to add to their squad instead of taking away from it. This could then give them the platform to build a dynasty under Steven Gerrard and begin to dominate Scottish football, as Celtic did with their nine straight titles prior to the 2020/21 campaign. To do this, they will need their best players to build some momentum over several years to show other potential transfer targets that they are the club to join in Scotland.

The £18k-per-week ace, Kent, has proven himself to be one of the club’s top performers over the past few seasons in Scotland. Kent was named in the Scottish Premiership PFA Team of the Year in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns, establishing himself as one of the elite players in the division.

The 24-year-old scored eight goals and assisted seven others in 33 league appearances in the season just gone, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.40 – a score only James Tavernier could better.

This highlights Kent’s importance to Rangers and why selling him now would be a grave error by the club. His contract expires in 2023, which means that Rangers do not have to worry about him running down his deal and leaving on a free next summer. If Rangers get to 2022 and Kent has not committed to a contract extension, then the time could be right to consider cashing in on him so to avoid losing him for nothing, but letting him leave this summer should not be a consideration.

AND in other news, Gerrard must entice his “very good” friend to Rangers after pundit’s transfer claim…

Aston Villa must look to land Wales and Liverpool ace Neco Williams this summer amid a recent transfer update.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Liverpool “expect Neco Williams to push for a move after Euro 2020 with the club set to demand at least £10 million for the Wales full-back”.

The report added: “The Premier League quartet of Leeds, Southampton, Aston Villa and Burnley have all expressed genuine interest in Williams over the past 12 months. Villa are no longer interested in signing a full-back after bringing in Ashley Young, who can cover on either side.”

Dean Smith will love it

While The Athletic claimed that Villa may no longer be interested in bringing in a new full-back given their recent signing of Young, a deal for Williams is something Johan Lange must seriously reconsider.

Ryan Giggs once dubbed the £7.2m-rated dynamo an “outstanding” talent and, after impressing for Wales, he was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “He is a fantastic player, still young and still learning, but the energy and quality he has shown when he has stepped up into the first team has been really good, so it’s exciting.”

At just 20, Williams is a much younger profile of player compared to someone like 35-year-old Young, and unlike the he could offer Smith many years of service for the club.

Villa’s move for Young was very much focused on the short-term, and it seems likely they will soon be in the market for another full-back, perhaps 12 months down the line.

By going for Williams now, the Midlands club would be ensuring they have someone to provide real competition for Matty Cash both for the present and the long-term future.

Villa must reconsider their stance on the Welshman, as doing so could see Lange strike gold.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

Manchester City take on Brighton in the Premier League on Tuesday evening, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to continue their impressive run of results away from the Etihad Stadium with a victory against Graham Potter’s side.

A much-changed Citizens side edged a 4-3 thriller against Newcastle United last time out after a superb hat-trick from Ferran Torres clinched their 12th successive away league win, and it seems likely that Guardiola will rotate his side once again against the Seagulls.

Potter’s side are now safe from relegation and can play without pressure against the Citizens, and they will likely continue with the playing style which has earned the former Swansea boss many plaudits this season, not least from his direct opponent tonight.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up on Tuesday night, with nine changes to the team which started against Newcastle…

Despite Scott Carson’s penalty save and general all-round performance at St James’ Park, Guardiola has already confirmed that Ederson will return in goal for City’s final two Premier League fixtures.

There are three changes in defence as Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake and Eric Garcia make way for a more defensively secure backline, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruben Dias and John Stones coming in, whilst Kyle Walker keeps his place on the right.

Fernandinho rotates with Rodri in defensive midfield to partner Ilkay Gundogan, with Kevin De Bruyne returning from injury to start in attacking midfield.

It’s all change in attack, as Phil Foden replaces the “world-class” Raheem Sterling on the left wing after another poor performance from the 26-year-old against Newcastle, whilst Riyad Mahrez replaces Torres on the right despite his superb display last time out.

Finally, Liam Delap could be handed his first Premier League start up front, replacing the goal-shy Gabriel Jesus.

In other news… one Manchester City star has made a big declaration about his future at the club.

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Daniel Pinder, who is editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, claims Denis Zakaria would be an upgrade on Manchester United midfielder Fred if the Red Devils were to sign him.

Zakaria has been a standout performer for Borussia Monchengladbach over the last two season as they qualified for the Champions League last season for only the third time in the club’s history.

The 24-year old has been linked with both Manchester City and Manchester United as the two clubs look to improve their midfield area with the former needing to replace Fernandinho and their rivals wanting more than a combination of Fred and Scott McTominay.

Speaking on if he would be an upgrade on Manchester United’s current midfield and what Zakaria is like as a player, Pinder exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’d be an upgrade on Fred definitely, but I think he might be quite similar to McTominay in the fact that they both like to get forward, run to the edge of the box and be there for crosses.

“So, he would be an upgrade on Fred, but I’m not sure how it would work alongside McTominay if it was to happen.”

The Switzerland international has the ability to play as either a central midfielder or even a centre back, which he has done under Marco Rose at Monchengladbach.

Man United have been rotating their midfield duo depending on who the opposition is with Fred, McTominay and Nemanja Matic all getting regular minutes.

Alan Hutton has dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after the Toon Army avoided relegation from the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Newcastle survive

The St. James’ Park faithful were confirmed to be staying up in the top flight for at least another season after Fulham lost 2-0 at home to Burnley on Monday night, meaning that they are mathematically impossible to catch, as they are currently 12 points above the drop zone with just three games left to play (Sky Sports).

It also means that Mike Ashley can likely still sell the North East club for his desired price if a deal is revived, and gives an incentive for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group to relaunch their bid.

The Latest: Hutton sees takeover positive

Hutton, who is now a pundit after a stellar playing career in the English and Scottish top flights, has since given his thoughts to Football Insider on the Tyneside club avoiding the dreaded drop, suggesting that it will indeed serve as a positive for the potential deal between Ashley and the KSA consortium:

“It’s absolutely huge. I think if they did go down, the takeover is off the table.

“It is what it is. Staying up was obviously huge, it means that a possible takeover will still be there.

“I just think for all the fans, Steve Bruce, everybody, that’s what it needs.  Obviously, they’ve not been happy for a long time with who’s in charge at the moment.

“I think it’s best for everybody if a new party comes in. Then you’re talking about the investment.

“We know how big a club Newcastle are and where they can get to with the right funding.

“If they do get the money, obviously the takeover has to happen first, but we’re talking about two different pathways.

“We can see two totally different teams if the takeover happens or if it doesn’t.”

The Verdict: Survival vital for potential takeover

It was clear that avoiding being relegated down to the EFL Championship was always going to be vital in terms of whether the potential takeover of the Magpies could still be revived or not.

Ashley will not have to lower his asking price now that they remain in the division where all the money is, and the attraction of still being a PL club will certainly still be there from the perspective of the potential new owners.

However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to get the bid back on track, with arbitration cases pending this summer and Ashley recently launching additional legal proceedings – Tyneside is going to have to remain patient.

In other news, find out what insight from sources Liam Kennedy has dropped on the timescale of the potential takeover here!

Celtic fans may now have to wait until next week for the club to announce Eddie Howe as their new manager, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Bournemouth’s exit opens up door

Howe’s former employers, Bournemouth, crashed out of the Championship playoffs on the weekend, which appeared to have played into Celtic’s hands.

The Cherries lost 3-2 to Brentford on aggregate, with reports suggesting Howe’s move to Parkhead was on shortly after that semi-final tie.

The 43-year-old was poised to bring Richard Hughes, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone with him to Scotland, but four days on, a deal is still yet to be announced.

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The Latest: Announcement update

Reports on Sunday claimed that an announcement was expected by the end of the week.

However, the Daily Record dropped a potential delay to an official unveiling on Tuesday evening.

They ran a story on Kristoffer Ajer’s Parkhead future, and in there, suggested that Howe is ‘poised to check in by the end of this week or start of next with Celtic chiefs finalising the minor details of the new look management team.’

The Verdict: McKay playing a dangerous game?

In our opinion, new CEO Dominic McKay is playing a dangerous game, should a deal not be officially announced by the end of the week.

There have been concerns from multiple media sources that Celtic’s waiting game in the manager hunt is becoming tiring and even claims it is disrespectful to the Hoops fans, while the club themselves reportedly have fears that Crystal Palace could look to scupper a move for Howe.

Surely, then, they would look to get a deal announced as soon as possible.

Bournemouth’s playoff exit last weekend gave them the perfect chance to do just that, but it appears as if Hoops fans may have to wait a little longer for a deal to go through.

They’ve been waiting long enough for a new first-team manager, so we’re sure a few more days won’t hurt, but let’s just hope there are no more hiccups.

In other news: Olivier Ntcham contract speculation refuted, find out more here. 

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Jean-Philippe Gbamin as Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he will not play again this season.

However, as per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the central midfield player will not require surgery on the injury that he sustained during training, after a scan in London.

Nonetheless, it is yet another setback for Gbamin after finally making his long-awaited return to the Merseyside club in the 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League earlier this month.

The fact that he has only lasted one game before getting injured again, and a bad one at that ruling him out for the rest of the 2020/21 term, it is no surprise to hear several members of the Toffees faithful bemoan the Ivory Coast international’s latest setback.

Everton fans on Gbamin injury update

These Blues flocked to the latest injury setback for Gbamin on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far to say that they were ‘gutted’ while another branded the news as ‘horrible’:

“Oh my”

Credit: @AndroPrabowo

“2 years off work, on FULL pay, horrible, just horrible….”

Credit: @robertg83908799

“Maybe just get him a new set of legs hey boys”

Credit: @blue_orm

“Gutted for the lad, but I reckon he is allergic to grass or something. it seems every time he steps out, another part of his body breaks.”

Credit: @SteCant

“Time to retire lad”

Credit: @The_Bin_Man77

“This is a joke?”

Credit: @ShaneOC62671345

In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update has been flocked to by Toffees here!