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Tottenham Hotspur’s Paulo Dybala saga could be set for a renewal this summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato claimed that Juventus are ready to sell the Argentine forward after an injury-hit campaign at the Allianz Stadium, putting both Spurs and their Premier League rivals Chelsea on high alert.

The 27-year-old will be entering the final year of his current contract at the end of the season and sporting director Pavel Nedved remained coy on his future, telling DAZN (via Marca): “He has a contract for one more year and I have nothing more to add to what [Fabio] Paratici and president [Andrea] Agnelli have already said. But it is clear that at Juventus we evaluate every business opportunity.”

Spurs would be keen to sign him, but for no more than €45m (£38m) after having agreed on a deal for him back in 2019, only for it to collapse at the 11th hour due to controversy over his image rights.

Imagine him & Ndombele

Indeed, Dybala has endured a tough season in Turin. Before suffering “a low-grade lesion of the medial collateral ligament of the left knee,” the Juventus attacker had only provided three goals and two assists in 16 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The long-standing Spurs target has not played since the start of January, when he was dealt the devastating injury blow, and it remains to be seen when he could return, having visited a specialist in Barcelona last month.

That said, one poor stop-start season doesn’t turn a superstar into a bad player overnight, especially as he is still their sixth-best rated player.

Last term, Dybala delivered a total of 31 goal contributions in 46 appearances (17 goals, 14 assists). Only a Harry Kane or Heung-min Son could put up anywhere near those returns, even less so with Juventus competing in the Champions League.

Former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey has often been left in awe by him since he swapped north London for Italy, telling The Athletic last year: “I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player. He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”

Spurs still lack a true number 10 to fill the void of Christian Eriksen – Giovani Lo Celso has spent large parts of 2021 on the treatment table, the future of Dele Alli under Jose Mourinho is rather dubious, whilst Tanguy Ndombele has formed quite the partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a deeper role.

Perhaps the arrival of Dybala could help bring the best out of the box-to-box Frenchman. He is among Spurs’ most influential players in the final third, managing a total of 68 pressures, which is only behind Kane and Son, via FBRef.

Similarly, he tops the charts for successful dribbles (2.92) and is second for most touches per 90 in the middle third (40.7). He needs that extra presence in front of him to truly thrive, and this is where Dybala comes in.

Had he been at the club since 2019, then the loss of Eriksen may have not been so difficult. Daniel Levy cannot let him escape his grasp a second time – he must sanction a deal for the £54m-rated gem this summer.

Just imagine him alongside Ndombele and Hojbjerg.

AND in other news, “very exciting” Spurs gem can become Mourinho’s next William Gallas

Former Leeds United hero Noel Whelan has spoken of his delight at Max Dean signing his first professional deal at Elland Road.

The 17-year-old signed on the dotted line last Friday in what was a proud moment for him and his family. Dean has signed a two-year deal which will take him through to the summer of 2023, by which point he will ideally have broken into the first team squad.

The teenager forward has featured for Leeds’ under-18s, under-21s and under-23s this season, impressing across all age groups and scoring four goals in eight appearances for the latter in Premier League 2.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Whelan delighted with Dean news

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was overjoyed at the news of Dean signing his new contract, hailing it as “a great achievement”:

“It is brilliant news. For Dean personally, it is a massive deal to sign his first professional contract.

“It is a great achievement because he has been fighting among other players in and around him and only a few get taken on. It can be very ruthless in academies.

“It is a great moment for the young man and a good moment for Leeds because he looks to be another exciting youngster coming through the ranks.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is always tough for any player to make the step up to the first team, but Dean is certainly a player who is highly regarded at Elland Road.

For now, he just needs to keep progressing in the youth team and ensure he doesn’t rest on his laurels after such a huge moment for him personally.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly interested in signing a forward who is in excellent form this season. Read more here.

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that West Ham captain Mark Noble would be “annoyed” if David Moyes ever opts to pick a youngster instead of him while Declan Rice is out.

The Hammers have one of the most settled midfield partnerships in the Premier League in Rice and Tomas Soucek, but the former has been ruled out for around four weeks with a knee problem sustained on international duty.

Prior to West Ham’s game with Wolves last week, the pair had played every minute in the Premier League season, with that run finally coming to an end at Molineux.

Mark Noble was the obvious choice to replace Rice, with 21-year-old Conor Coventry, who was an unused substitute for the recent defeat to Manchester United, their only other senior recognised central midfielder in the squad following the summer departures of both Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere.

But McAvennie told Football FanCast that playing a youngster ahead of Noble wouldn’t sit well with the Hammers skipper:

“Nobes would be annoyed at him because you automatically want to get in.

“Sometimes you say ‘right Nobes, you go and sit in in front of the centre-halves and don’t let them get in’. But it’s so defensive. Because it’s so good to watch West Ham at the moment because they’re so quick and lively.

“They’ve got players there, it’s how they do it. Do they bring Nobes in or bring a youngster in and play the same way, that’s why David Moyes is given the big bucks. I know for a fact that Noble will want to play, but whether he can or not I don’t know.”

Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that the Citizens are set to make a late move for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.

Alaba has been one of the best defenders of the 21st century. He has made 419 appearances for Bayern throughout his career to date (Transfermarkt), helping the Bavarians win nine Bundesliga titles as well as two Champions League trophies, while he has also been named the Austrian Footballer of the Year on no less than seven occasions.

However, he will be playing for another club next season after confirming he will leave Bayern (Goal.com). A number of clubs have been linked with a move for the £49.5m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt), including Real Madrid (The Guardian), but The Daily Star is now reporting the Citizens are to make a last effort to sign him. The Austrian is said to be looking for a salary of £400,000 a week.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Chief, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Alaba news below

“Am not sure we need this guy at City he is 28yrs now soon hitting 30 that’s why he wants a club with money so that he can pile up some money for himself, trust me he will not be committed in playing for City, he is just looking for money bcos soon he is hitting 30”

Credit: @Rex05633603

“Almost half a million pounds a week. That’s a crime. Sometimes I want to stop watching football just for this reason.”

Credit: @faitcher82

“that salary is absurd……would wreck the whole teams salary structure…..”

Credit: @CaliBearcat

“We need to be careful with our wage bill , if haaland or messi on the cards too”

Credit: @cst1894

“400k a week..I’d say sign him because his free transfer anyway..his valued at 45M plus.. this will compensate his wages anyway if city were to sign him on a 3 to 4 year contract.”

Credit: @phillip23193875

“Wouldn’t mind having him plus Zinny and Mendy would learn a lot from him”

Credit: @Ortega04187965

In other news, Man City fans have been reacting to this £128m transfer claim.

Things are looking a lot rosier for Wolves all of a sudden.

Of course, they aren’t completely out of the woods yet, but a win over Arsenal and then a draw with Leicester demonstrated they still have what it takes to mix it with the top half of the Premier League.

Though, could their squad for the back half of the campaign been bolstered more?

What’s the word?

January wasn’t a particularly busy month for Wolves but they did welcome a new striker to the club in the shape of Willian Jose.

However, it’s been revealed that Jeff Shi and the club’s recruitment team had another forward on their radar last month.

According to Transfermarkt (via Sport Witness), Wolves approached Frankfurt in a bid to sign Portuguese striker Andre Silva.

Atletico Madrid were also pursuing Silva but had a bid rejected for his services. This link certainly makes sense given he’s a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

The intermediary currently has a number of Wolves’ players on his books.

Forget Jose

This would have been a seriously eye-catching move for Nuno Santo and Shi to make. They were linked with a swoop for the 25-year-old in 2019 when he was still at Milan but he has come on leaps and bound since.

In fact, he’s far more prolific than Real Sociedad loanee, Jose. So far this season Silva has found the net on 18 occasions in just 21 outings compared to Jose’s meagre haul of four strikes. It’s been a near impeccable campaign for the striker who has earned comparisons to a certain Bayern Munich forward.

After scoring against Mainz last month, Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter commented: “Andre Silva is the solo forward up top, but he does it really well. He wasn’t rewarded against Leverkusen, today he was. His composure on penalties reminds me of Robert Lewandowski, who always turns ice cold.”

Silva has gone from an erratic striker to one that shows remarkable composure in front of goal. Though, that’s not the sole reason Wolves should have signed him over Jose.

He’s confident in the penalty area, but most importantly has similarities to Raul Jimenez. Silva revealed what he brings to the Frankfurt attack last year: “My job at the moment, like a striker, is to score goals, to gain the ball in the air and to protect the ball in the front, so my teammates come more forward. So, I think it’s my job. But the most important in the final is the three points or the winning.”

Jimenez does a wonderful job of protecting the ball and you only need to look at Silva’s stats this term to realise what he could have offered to the Old Gold.

He has won 2.4 aerial duels per game which outmuscles Jimenez by 0.9. It’s a tally that also betters Jose’s in 2020/21 who has only prevailed in one aerial duel a match.

Hailed an “entertainer” for his performances this term, Molineux would surely have been a better place with Silva leading the line.

Depending on the cost, this would have been the perfect striker for Wolves in January. Let’s hope they don’t live to regret their decision.

AND in other news, Forget Aaron Ramsey: Nuno could unleash “special” rarely-seen Wolves gem instead…

Manchester United are looking to build on their win over Newcastle United this afternoon when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea.

The Red Devils return to Premier League action after securing their place in the last 16 of the Europa League thanks to a goalless draw with Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a selection dilemma ahead of United’s trip to west London, with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba all ruled out due to injury.

Here is Football FanCast’s prediction for how Solskjaer’s starting XI will line up when they face-off against Thomas Tuchel’s side, which sees the manager make four changes from the draw with Real Sociedad.

While Dean Henderson put in a solid, albeit unspectacular performance on Thursday night, David de Gea is likely to be given the nod between the sticks. The Spaniard is Solskjaer’s undisputed first-choice and should start once again this afternoon.

United’s back-line have been far too inconsistent for their own liking but showed some much-needed character in a much better performance at home to Newcastle and despite a few changes were solid again against Real Sociedad.

Both Aaron-Wan Bissaka and Luke Shaw have silenced the critics since the start of this season, while Harry Maguire should also make his return to action, and will start alongside Eric Bailly to form the rest of the back four.

With both McTominay and Pogba still missing due to injury, Nemanja Matic and Fred have performed admirably in their absence, and are expected to take to the field against Chelsea.

While Daniel James has played a fairly decent role in replacing Mason Greenwood on the right-wing, the Welshman is carrying a knock, and as such it is unlikely he will be risked in the midst of a busy schedule.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer, it will also come too soon for Cavani, which means Anthony Martial is expected to lead the line for the visitors, despite the fact that he has failed to score in any of his past four appearances across all competitions.

Thankfully, the in-form Marcus Rashford has been on a hot streak since the start of this season, having made 25 Premier League appearances with nine goals and eight assists and he will look to add to his numbers when the two sides collide later today.

AND in other news, Man Utd should prioritise summer swoop for Villarreal star Pau Torres…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned his old club about selling star players Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard to Tottenham this summer, and believes the former may have an “agreement” already with the north London side.

According to The Mirror, Jose Mourinho is considering making a move for Vestergaard once the transfer window opens, while Eurosport have credited the north London outfit with an interest in Ings.

While a lot still has to happen before any of these potential transfers materialise, the links are a worrying sign for Southampton, who have sold the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Luke Shaw to Premier League rivals in previous windows.

And Palmer believes it is not sustainable for the Saints to continue selling key assets every time one of the division’s big boys come knocking.

“It’s not sustainable for anybody to sell their best players,” the retired England international exclusively told FFC when discussing Tottenham’s reported interest in both Ings and Vestergaard.

“I think Danny’s gone off the boil. I think if reading between the lines from how I see it, it almost seems as if Danny’s got an agreement with Spurs, that’s just the way I feel. Listen, I don’t blame him. If you’re looking at Southampton, you’re looking at Spurs, Spurs are going to always be at the top end of the table and they’re going to be challenging for major honours. I don’t blame him.”

Ings starred for Southampton last season, finishing the 2019/20 Premier League campaign with an impressive 22 goals to his name, while Vestergaard has made a good name for himself in defence this term.

The Danish defender is currently winning 3.6 aerial duels per league game, the highest average in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad (via WhoScored), and is also making the most clearances out of all of his team-mates (4). Furthermore, losing both players would have to come as a blow to the south coast outfit.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona goalkeeper Neto is only interested in a move to Arsenal if he is guaranteed playing time.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side will be willing to let summer signing Alex Runarsson leave the club on loan if they can bring in a replacement for him.

Now, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo claim that while Neto would be an ideal option for them, the Brazilian himself would only be interested in making the switch to the Premier League giants if they can make some assurances over how much he will play.

The report adds that he would only leave Barcelona if he is guaranteed the starting spot at Arsenal, with the Gunners only willing to promise that he will challenge Bernd Leno for that number one role.

Arteta won’t be happy

Whilst securing a better number two goalkeeper for Arteta will be something that will make him relieved, Neto’s demands are wholly unrealistic, and would surely leave the Gunners boss tearing his hair out.

The Spaniard is trying to build a culture of working hard and having no passengers or prima donnas in the squad – you only have to look at how the likes of Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi have been side-lined under his leadership.

If Neto is trying to get guarantees of starting for the Gunners before he’s even proven himself, then it really does raise some major questions about his willingness to play and compete for the north Londoners.

A position in the side should be earned on merit, not simply handed out to players. It’s exactly why Edu would be making a foolish mistake by acquiescing to the £65k-a-week ace’s demands, and why Arteta will be fuming if he did.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal star was outstanding against Crystal Palace…

Ryan Fredericks may have already played his final game for West Ham United amid reports David Moyes may look to sell the defender in January.

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way podcast, Moyes will not fight to save Fredericks’ London Stadium future should offers arrive for the outcast full-back in the upcoming January window.

Fredericks has fallen down the Scottish coach’s pecking order following the summer arrival of Vladimir Coufal, who has started each of the Irons’ eight Premier League fixtures since completing a £5.4million move from Slavia Prague.

Fredericks began the campaign as Moyes’ favoured choice at right-back but lost his place in the side after sustaining a hamstring injury during the second half of West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 28-year-old has not been seen on the pitch since September’s encounter with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and has only featured on the bench in four of the following eight matchday squads, with Moyes happy to call on 20-year-old Ben Johnson for cover.

Moyes believes Johnson has the potential to serve as Coufal’s understudy full-time, making room for the Hammers to offload Fredericks and his £40,000-per-week contract that runs through to the summer of 2022.

End of the road

Fredericks leaving the London Stadium this winter would not be a decision that will surprise many West Ham supporters, given the performances of Coufal in claret and blue and Moyes’ recent tendency to favour Johnson as his back-up full-back.

Fredericks has found it challenging to displace Coufal in the starting line-up since recovering from injury, as the Czech Republic international hit the ground running in east London and only began showing signs of struggle in the second half of last Saturday’s defeat to Manchester United when Marcus Rashford’s pace exploited a weakness to his game.

Johnson also moving up to the number two slot has now not even left any room on the bench for Fredericks to occupy, and his only hopes of a return would be through injury or Moyes opting to send Johnson out on loan to gain regular first-team football this winter.

But a decision on Johnson’s future may be more likely in the summer, at which point West Ham will only be subject to limited offers for Johnson with his contract entering its final year and risk losing the 28-year-old for the same amount they paid for him in 2018. Nothing.

West Ham will be eager to avoid recording a total loss on Fredericks so, if his future is not at the London Stadium, a January move is best for the £3.6m-rated defender and Moyes would be right to not stand in the former Fulham full-back’s way.

AND in other news, David Moyes would throw an “outstanding” £30m West Ham star under the boss with his brave plan to beat Leeds United.

If anything summed up Wolves’ topsy-turvy season it would be their defeat to Burnley.

Over the last month or so they have been a pillar of inconsistency, beating Arsenal and Chelsea but losing to Villa and now Sean Dyche’s men. So how do things improve? Well, the transfer market opening next month should be a big help.

What’s the word?

Wolves supporters were rocked on Tuesday by the news that frightening winger Adama Traore could leave the club for Leeds.

However, lurking in the background of all of that was a report linking the Old Gold with a potential new arrival.

According to Tutto Mercato Web (via Sempre Milan), Wolves are one of a few clubs interested in signing Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.

It’s reported that themselves and Everton are both considering a move for the centre-back, but it looks as though AC Milan are currently in the box seat.

That’s because talks are ongoing between the Ligue 1 side and the Rossoneri over a deal that could be worth between €15-€20m (£13m-£18m).

The player reportedly prefers a move to the San Siro.

Big mistake

Considering Simakan is just 20 years of age, Wolves would clearly be paying for the potential here. However, that isn’t necessarily a good idea from Jeff Shi, especially so soon after signing Fabio Silva.

Of course, Silva cost a club-record £35.6m so has other pressures to deal with, but we’ve already seen that paying such large sums for a player with little experience isn’t too fruitful.

The Portuguese striker has scored just one goal in the Premier League since arriving and there isn’t a great deal to suggest Simakan would perform from the off either.

The youngster played only 19 times last season and is currently playing for a side who are 16th in the French top-flight.

Strasbourg have conceded the third-highest number of goals in the division – 28 – and Simakan has won only 1.8 tackles per game. Considering how much defending his side have had to do this term, that isn’t the best tally.

This would be a rogue pick from Wolves, one we’re not entirely sure would be worth it.

AND in other news, Wolves LIABILITY who lost 83.4% of his duels will have Nuno fuming…