All posts by z3u9t.icu

Swansea City could be set to face a truly devastating transfer deadline day with Leeds United edging closer towards a deal for Daniel James, while Leroy Fer and Jefferson Montero are both likely to depart.

Marcelo Bielsa has been in hot pursuit of James in the second half of the transfer window and it looks like his persistence is set to pay off.

Leeds United supporters may not have been feeling completely optimistic about their chances of clinching a deal first thing this morning, but their prayers appear to have been answered.

Indeed, according to Guardian journalist Stuart James, Daniel James is set to sign for Leeds, with the player personally expressing his desire to depart before the deadline.

The respected journalist revealed the news via his Twitter account and he poured more misery on Swansea by suggesting that there is a strong possibility both Leroy Fer and Jefferson Montero will follow James out of the exit door.

Oh dear, oh dear. Swansea supporters will be feeling absolutely incensed by the scenario they could be facing, as the aforementioned trio represent three of the most integral players residing within Graham Potter’s squad.

To lose them at this stage in the season without ample time to source replacements would be deflating to put it lightly, but Swansea’s loss could well be Leeds’ gain.

The Whites are short of strength in depth and the injection of a fresh dynamic in midfield could provide them with a priceless boost ahead of the final months of the season.

Samu Saiz’s departure will guarantee a regular role for Pablo Hernandez in the number ten role, thus paving the way for James to battle with the likes of Ezgjan Alioski, Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke for a place in the starting eleven.

The form James has demonstrated on his maiden Championship campaign hints that he could offer an extra burst of pace and touch of flair in the final-third to unlock sturdy defensive units when they need it most at the business end of the season.

It appears that Leeds’ interest has turned James’ head towards Elland Road, and the 21-year-old prodigy looks more than likely to be on his way to Yorkshire to conclude a deal today following Stuart James’ Twitter update.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Manchester United’s new interim manager Ralf Rangnick has reportedly placed RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku on his wish list for the January transfer window.

According to the Daily Express (who cite SportBild), the new Old Trafford boss is set to raid his former club for the highly-rated 24-year-old over the coming months as he looks to overhaul his first-team squad.

Nkunku becomes the third current or former Leipzig star to be linked with the Red Devils following the German’s arrival, with Amadou Haidara and Timo Werner also believed to be on their radar.

Ralf Rangnick can get Man Utd firing again

After rising through the ranks at boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain, Nkunku departed the Parc des Princes in search of regular game-time back in 2019.

Since making the €13m (£11m) switch to Leipzig, the versatile midfielder has gone from strength to strength, firmly establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising talents.

In just 21 games in all competitions this season, Nkunku has already bagged 14 goals and provided a further nine assists, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League.

Ahead of a recent European showdown with Club Brugge, his manager Jesse Marsch lauded the youngster, describing him as player who always wants to improve.

“We have spoken to Christopher a lot about playing on the counter, and also what he needs to do to play as a striker, a number 10 and on both wings,” Marsch was quoted as saying by the official RB Leipzig website.

“Christopher has no weaknesses. He is young and still wants a lot more. It’s always a good thing when a young player listens to the things we say and also wants to implement them. Working with him is a lot of fun as he is really intelligent and has a lot of potential.”

With Nkunku already familiar with the pressing style that Rangnick is expected to implement at United, the £42.3m-rated gem could be an instant hit at Old Trafford, so the German must make a move.

His arrival would certainly have the potential to get the 20-time English champions rocking again, injecting new life into their disappointing campaign to date.

In other news… Forget Ronaldo: Man Utd gem with 4 key passes was Carrick’s final Old Trafford hero

Crystal Palace have not made any signings as of yet during the winter transfer window, which is unexpected when you look at how active the club was in making acquisitions in the summer.

Despite no official bids though, the club has been linked to a number of players during January.

Palace have been touted to young players in the forward line specifically, with Christian Benteke turning 31 recently and Vieira on a mission to inject youth in a squad that had the oldest average age in the Premier League before his arrival in the summer.

Vieira brought in a number of young players upon his appointment during the summer, including Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard, who have both made an incredible impact on the side.

For context, they have been involved in 19 goals between them, and as a result, the club’s boss is clearly intending to continue his youth revolution as the club has been linked with 22-year-old Eddie Nketiah, and 21-year-old Bamba Dieng this month.

Whilst Gunners striker, Nketiah, has been ruled out of a move by his manager Mikel Arteta, we can focus our attention on the strengths that Marseille striker, Dieng, can offer Palace.

He could become the perfect replacement for Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is not a regular choice for Vieira with just eight appearances this season and has been linked with a move away from the club, cutting his loan deal six months early at Palace.

Dieng has been impressive for Marseille, with his talents not going unnoticed after he was hailed “a Didier Drogba” type player by El Hadji Diouf who sang the young striker’s praises last year:

“He’s a striker, a Didier Drogba. All he can do is score goals. He is a young person with a future. All I have to say is keep his head on his shoulders, keep working. He is an attacker who ends up in the box.”

According to Squawka, when you compare the attacking output from Dieng at Marseille this season, to Mateta’s campaign with the Eagles, the young Senegalese forward has three more goals, a better conversion rate, over twice as many shots on target and almost double the passes completed than his counterpart.

If the statistics shown are anything to go by, Vieira clearly has an important decision to make on the future of his forward line with many choices he could make over the next few months.

Nketiah will be out of contract in the summer and thus, potentially available on a free transfer if he refuses to commit his future to Arsenal, and £30k-per-week Mateta’s 18-month loan deal also comes to an end in June too.

Therefore, the French coach will need to decide if he will sign the player on a permanent contract, but with Dieng linked it would be hard not to consider his attacking output and the potential he offers at just 21 years old.

After all, he looks the perfect player for Vieira to sign while axing the rather disappointing Mateta.

In other news: Reliable journalist gives update on Jean-Philippe Mateta

Tottenham Hotspur are said to be confident of signing Adama Traore this month…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit were linked with a £20m move for the Wolverhampton Wanderers star by The Times over the weekend as manager Antonio Conte seems him as the solution to his right wing-back problems.

And now transfer insider Dean Jones of Eurosport has provided a fresh update on the situation.

“Adama Traore is a genuine target. They’re trying to negotiate terms and a deal with Wolves right now. Chelsea are also interested in signing Adama Traore though,” he told The Football Terrace.

“They haven’t gone particularly far with it, certainly not as far as down the road as Spurs are yet. Tottenham are reasonably confident they will complete the deal though.”

Conte would love him

Spurs are seemingly edging closer to their first signing of the January transfer window and one that the Italian head coach is surely going to be thrilled with.

During his time at Chelsea, he won the Premier League and FA Cup, having converted out-of-sorts winger Victor Moses into an exceptional and reliable wing-back.

You could argue that Traore is way ahead of his level.

Not only has he previously played the wing-back role many times before but he is also built like a brute force and has rapid acceleration that will not only stop the opposition’s attack but also prove to be a menace in the final third for the club – something that Emerson just does not offer.

The Spain international leads the division for dribbles (4.5 per game), even ahead of players like Mo Salah and Spurs’ very own Lucas Moura, via WhoScored, whilst he has previously been dubbed a “monster” by Southampton forward Che Adams and a “machine” by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.

It’s a move that also seems like an absolute steal at the price. Spurs may only have to pay £20m for a £25.2m-rated player.

You’d imagine that if sporting director Fabio Paratici and co can pull this off in the near future, Conte will be a very happy man. It could well be the start of a big transformation to this struggling Spurs squad.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano issues update on Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Spurs…

Tottenham are ‘confident’ of signing Wolves winger Adama Traore this month, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Conte transformation

The 26-year-old has made the majority of his appearances during his career as a right winger for the likes of Barcelona, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and now Wolves.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-2/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, should the Spaniard move to north London, it seems as if Antonio Conte has a specific plan in mind. According to The Athletic, the Italian is looking to mould Traore into a right wing-back, in a similar way to how he redeployed Victor Moses at Chelsea.

Spurs are yet to make any first team signings this month, but it appears as if that may change with Traore.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano took to Twitter on Monday morning to provide an update regarding Tottenham’s pursuit of the Wolves speedster.

He revealed that Fabio Paratici and co are now ‘confident’ of completing a deal, outling: “Tottenham are prepared to push on Adama Traore deal starting from today. Talks will re-start with Wolves to enter into final details & reach the agreement. Club confident to complete the new signing.”

Sky Sports added later in the day that a £20m transfer is moving closer.

The Verdict: First of many?

It seems as if it could be a busy final few days for Conte and Paratici, and Traore could be the first of several through the door.

The Spurs boss wants three players signed in the final days of the month in what could be a pivotal week regarding his future at the club.

Should he get what he wants, the second half of the season could be viewed as a building block ahead of a successful 2022/23 campaign. However, if Conte doesn’t get his wish, he could start to lose faith in the project, which may spell the beginning of the end for him despite only being at the club since November.

In other news: Spurs now ‘considering’ new attacking target in 18 y/o prodigy – journalist. 

Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks is one of the ‘names’ on Newcastle United’s transfer ‘radar’, journalist Liam Kennedy has told GIVEMESPORT. 

The lowdown

The 25-year-old made just his third Premier League start of the season in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. Two of those have come in Antonio Conte’s first four Premier League matches, though, suggesting that his prospects may have improved under the Italian following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo.

The £18m-rated midfielder is competing with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso for a place in Spurs’ midfield. He has earned 10 England caps to date, but the last of those came in November 2020.

The latest

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Kennedy revealed that Winks’ name had been mentioned to him by trusted sources in terms of potential Newcastle signings, with the 25-year-old a target for PIF ahead of January.

The journalist revealed: “There are a few other names that I haven’t even written about. Harry Winks is one I know is on their radar.”

The verdict

Winks issued a reminder of his class against Liverpool at the weekend, delivering the highest-rated performance in the Spurs line-up (via SofaScore). He made four interceptions (the most in the match), blocked three shots and completed eight long passes, also covering more ground than any of his team-mates.

If Spurs are willing to listen to offers in January, Newcastle’s new transfer consultant Nick Hammond may deem the ‘excellent’ Winks a smart addition for the relegation-threatened Magpies.

Eddie Howe wants players who are ‘tried and tested’ in the Premier League, and the 25-year-old Tottenham ace has played over a century of games in the division. This could be a crucial criterion for the manager and duly gives credence to the possibility of Winks moving to St James’ Park.

In other news, Newcastle have made a big offer for this in-demand sensation

Many Manchester United fans have been left slamming the display of Alex Telles despite their 2-0 win away at Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho were enough to give Michael Carrick his first three points as interim manager and put the Old Trafford side through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

However, while a lot of the team stepped up their game, Telles seemed to struggle for large periods after being given his chance to impress.

The left-back lost out on two of his duels, and also failed to record a dribble, clearance, blocked shot or tackle in the match (SofaScore).

Some Red Devils were critical of his wastefulness from set pieces and crossing in general, as he only managed one successful cross in nine attempts, and the Brazilian was also guilty of losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 18 separate occasions in total, double his next-worst teammate (SofaScore).

Man Utd fans on Telles display

These MUFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Alex Telles is always a disaster waiting to happen. Him and Maguire on the same side is just a defensive suicide squad.”

Credit: @Denggiet1

“Ole got a lot of things wrong but one thing I can actually say he never got wrong was not starting Telles. Another abysmal half. Him and Dalot for me should be sold. Boring half of football”

Credit: @mungoTSO

“The good news is we haven’t conceded, need a much better 2nd half though. Telles, Martial, Sancho and Fred very poor, I could keep going.”

Credit: @DarthJango

“Telles and Fred are an absolute travesty.”

Credit: @p3pp3rmintkid

“Good cover by Lindelof, but I told you guys Telles is a liability #VILMUN #MUFC. JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE”

Credit: @IamMobstaz

“Telles is defensively horrible. Same breed as Dalot.”

Credit: @inaminute23

In other news, find out which title-winning manager could now snub United here!

Many Everton fans have been left speculating over a claim made by Abdoulaye Doucoure on Rafa Benitez’s tactics.

Speaking to The Liverpool Echo, the former Watford ace claimed that it is ‘better’ to play in a three-man midfield, rather than the two that Benitez has often played this season:

“I think sometimes when you play a three, especially some games where Andre (Gomes) came on, I think we played much better because we have more possession in midfield and have more numbers in the middle sometimes.”

Gomes was given the start alongside Allan in midfield in the FA Cup fixture at Hull City last weekend, but the manager has not deployed a three-man midfield since the 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace, where Fabian Delph started alongside Gomes and Doucoure.

This is not the first time that someone inside the club has challenged Benitez’s tactics, as Lucas Digne reportedly had a row with the manager over how he was using him.

The left-back has now been sold to Aston Villa, and so members of the Goodison Park faithful are now speculating whether Doucoure will have the same fate, should he take up his claim with Benitez.

Nonetheless, it is a matter that should be discussed on the training ground behind closed doors, with a game away at Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon to come.

Everton fans on Doucoure claim

These supporters of the Merseyside club speculated as the claim was shared on Twitter:

“That’s him out the door”

Credit: @magtinheb316

“Another name to the transfer list.”

Credit: @ohso_savage

“That’ll be him sold next”

Credit: @_GaryRoe

“Bye Doucs”

Credit: @Stu17666455

“There’s Doucoure gone then”

Credit: @andrewJNRdwyer

“Benitez will probably sell him after seeing this”

Credit: @JoelFreemanEFC

In other news, find out what transfer update Blues have flocked to here!

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe will be plotting his targets for the summer transfer window and some names have started to slip through the cracks.

FCInterNews recently reported that the Magpies are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Argentine international Paulo Dybala at the end of the season.

He is out of contract at Juventus this summer and Newcastle, along with Arsenal, Inter, PSG and Atletico Madrid, are eyeing up a swoop for the £36m-rated phenomenon’s services.

The new David Ginola

The Toon must complete a deal to sign Dybala as they can find their new David Ginola in the mercurial playmaker.

Ginola played 76 games for Newcastle during his time on Tyneside and produced seven goals and 16 assists for the club. He also played for Tottenham in the top-flight, scoring 19 times and assisting 18 in 119 matches for the London giants.

The Frenchman was able to score and assist goals in the Premier League and was capable of coming up with special moments, once scoring a minute into a game against Arsenal for the Magpies.

ITV noted that he was renowned for his “magical touch” on the pitch and current Spurs attacker Kulusevski once claimed that Dybala has a “magical left foot”, which illustrates the similarity between the two players – with both of them operating out wide or through the middle.

As you can see in the graphic above, with statistics via Transfermarkt, Dybala has enjoyed a terrific time with the Italian giants as he has directly contributed to a goal every 1.77 games for them in all competitions over the course of his career in Turin.

Ex-Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey previously showered the midfielder with praise, saying:

“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.”

These comments, along with his impressive statistics in Italy, suggest that he has the requisite quality to come in and be the club’s new magic man in the final third, just like Ginola did when he arrived at St. James’ Park.

At the age of 28, Newcastle can still get a lot out of Dybala and that is why PIF must splash the cash to convince him to make the switch to England this summer. Just imagine him weaving past opposition players before beautifully curling the ball into the back of the net, something his record for Juventus suggests he will be able to do on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Newcastle handed key injury lift that’ll leave Eddie Howe ecstatic…

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in the race for a top-four finish as the Lilywhites lost 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard bagging a last-minute winner.

Antonio Conte’s men were lacklustre in front of goal, managing just five shots all game, none of which were on target, whilst Brighton managed to get five of their 12 shots on target.

Despite staying in fourth, the defeat will provide an opportunity for Spurs’ rivals in the top four race to make up ground as we enter the final weeks of the season.

No player in a Tottenham shirt can hold their head up high after the defeat, with Emerson Royal, Heung-min Son, Eric Dier all being well below-par.

However, it was undoubtedly left wing-back Sergio Reguilon who was the worst of the bunch against Brighton.

According to SofaScore, the Spaniard enjoyed just 46 touches all afternoon, as well as lost possession on 12 separate occasions – meaning he gave away the ball with every 3.8 touches.

Moreover, the 25-year-old failed to complete a single dribble, attempting just one.

Furthermore, there was also little defensive prowess from the wing-back, who failed to make a single interception, clearance or block, in addition to making just one tackle all afternoon.

Most of all though, Reguilon’s passing was well below par, with the Spaniard’s 62% accuracy – completing just 17 of his 28 attempted passes – being the worst out of Spurs’ starting lineup.

The left wing-back has had a decent season – for the most part – this term, averaging a 6.92 SofaScore match rating. However, against Brighton, the 25-year-old mustered a 6.6.

Against the Seagulls, Reguilon made his sixth appearance in Spurs’s last seven in the league – having missed the 5-1 win over Newcastle with a knock – and had certainly been earning his place in the side back after falling down the pecking order.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in early February, the wing-back who John Wenham claimed is the “worst of the bunch” and Tom Young labelled “pathetic” went a month without game time in the league before being reintroduced against Everton last month as the Lilywhites won 5-0, with Reguilon scoring.

What is for certain is that lacklustre displays as Tottenham pick up poor results won’t pass the grade for Conte, and Reguilon will certainly have to produce better performances over the remaining weeks of the season to ensure that his place in the side is a certainty going into next season.

AND in other news: Source: Insider drops major Spurs claim on £30m maestro, it’s great news for Conte