Category Uncategorized

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly plotting a move to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol next summer. 

The Lowdown: Spurs’ previous interest in Gvardiol

The Premier League club were linked with a move for the centre-back during the previous summer transfer window. During that period, it was claimed in a report for the Evening Standard that Antonio Conte has an interest in the Leipzig defender, who journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke previously said could cost up to £80m.

Despite not signing him in the summer, it seems as though Spurs’ interest in the 20-year-old has not completely gone away.

The Latest: Spurs plotting Gvardiol move

According to a recent report from Tuttomercatoweb, Spurs are looking to sign the defender once next summer’s transfer window opens for business.

The report adds that Conte has asked Ivan Perisic to convince Gvardiol to join Spurs in the summer, with both players currently in World Cup action for Croatia.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] 

The Verdict: Fantastic target

Despite only starting eight of Leipzig’s 15 Bundesliga games this season, only three players have made more progressive passes than Gvardiol (44), who has been hailed as an “extraordinary” player in the past by his compatriot Ivica Olic.

In addition, only two Leipzig players have made more clearances than the youngster (21), which highlights how capable he is off the ball in a defensive sense, along with moving it forward when in possession.

As one of the five outfield players to feature in every minute of World Cup action for Croatia so far in Qatar, this shows how important he is for his nation and how valuable he is for Zlatko Dalic.

Taking all of that into account, we feel that, given his age and his evident talents, securing a summer move for Gvardiol would be great business from Spurs, especially if Perisic ends up playing a big part in seeing the defender choose the Lilywhites as his next club.

Tottenham Hotspur made it back-to-back Premier League defeats on Sunday afternoon, having suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of a resurgent Newcastle United side following what was another unconvincing display from Antonio Conte’s men.

Just a matter of days after their limp showing at Old Trafford against Manchester United, the north Londoners again came unstuck against the Magpies, having been undone by first-half goals from Callum Wilson and the in-form Miguel Amiron, who bagged his sixth league goal of the campaign.

A header from the ever-reliable Harry Kane – who now boasts a stunning haul of ten top-flight strikes so far this term – had given Spurs hope of a comeback against Eddie Howe’s men, although the home side were ultimately unable to produce much of a rally as they stumbled their way to defeat.

A key villain in that disappointing affair for the Lilywhites had been that of centre-back Davinson Sanchez, with the Colombian international having failed to deliver after taking the place of the stricken Cristian Romero in the backline.

The 26-year-old was “desperately poor” on the day – in the words of Sky Sports reporter Ben Grounds (Live Blog, 23/10/2022, 17:41), having been particularly wasteful in possession, squandering the ball on ten occasions from his 50 touches.

The £65k-per-week flop – who cost the club an eye-watering £42m fee back in 2017 – also failed to complete any of his four long balls, while also proving something of a liability in a defensive sense, having won just two of his six aerial duels.

On what was just his fifth league start of the season, the former Ajax man proved just why he has largely played second fiddle during Conte’s tenure to date, with his match rating of 6.6, as per SofaScore, having been the joint-second worst of any of his starting teammates against the Tynesiders.

The £25.2m-rated man was also notably criticised by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick in his post-match player ratings piece, awarding the 50-cap dud a 5/10 rating, while also stating: ‘Uncomfortable when pressed and touch was sloppy. No surprise he was rusty but rarely comfortable when asked to play out.’

On the basis of that display, Sanchez – who has proven something of a costly mistake for owner Daniel Levy – will be lucky to retain his place for Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Sporting CP, having only served to amplify the setback of losing Romero to injury.

West Brom have already begun interviewing candidates to replace Steve Bruce at the Hawthorns, with former Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan one of the first to speak to Ron Gourlay about the vacant post.

The Athletic claim that the 39-year-old has already been interviewed about taking over at the Hawthorns, and would be free to take over immediately after he left Olympiacos earlier in the summer.

The Spaniard came to prominence with Huddersfield Town as he led the Terriers to last season’s Championship playoff final against all odds before they ultimately fell against Nottingham Forest at the final hurdle.

During his spell with the Yorkshire side, Corberan would take charge of 102 matches, winning 39, drawing 27 and losing 36 with a points-per-game average of 1.41.

This is an improvement on Bruce’s 1.13 points-per-game average at the Hawthorns, which is even more impressive given the respective size of the clubs and the strength of their squads.

After that impressive season, he would leave the John Smith’s Stadium before joining Olympiacos but would take charge of just 11 games for the Greek side, of which he won four, drew four and lost three.

While it didn’t work out for Corberan in Greece, the tactician has good experience in the Championship and has also worked under one of the most highly regarded football managers in history in Marcelo Bielsa during his time as a coach at Leeds United.

The Argentine manager, who took Leeds back to the Premier League after enjoying spells at Athletic Bilbao and Marseille, spoke highly of Corberan, describing him as “very talented” and once suggested that he values his opinion more than his own.

Given that Leeds excelled in three of Bielsa’s four seasons at the club, earning a playoff position the first year, promotion in the second and a strong ninth-placed finish in his first Premier League campaign, having someone of that ilk at West Brom could only be a good thing for the club.

If Corberan could emulate Bielsa’s performances at Leeds during his time at West Brom, he would surely prove to be a top appointment by the Baggies.

Indeed, possessing similar philosophies, a move for the relatively young boss is surely an exciting thought, particularly if he recreates an environment like he did in Huddersfield.

Everton remain unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and finally picked up their first three points last weekend when they hosted West Ham United at Goodison Park.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team is starting to gel and work well together, improving upon the disastrous campaign in the league last season that left the side in a difficult relegation battle, and there is no doubt the new signings made this summer have made a huge difference.

With James Tarkowski and Conor Coady forging a formidable centre-back partnership and Neal Maupay working well in the front line alongside Anthony Gordon, the future is looking bright for the Toffees, and a comfortable finish in the top flight is looking more achievable than it ever has over the last 18 months.

One newly acquired player who has been making a huge impact in the centre of the pitch is Amadou Onana, with the midfielder becoming the positive presence Lampard desperately needed to improve the quality of play in the midfield.

Last month, French football expert Julien Laurens heaped praise on the £33.5m Everton dynamo, comparing him to World Cup winner Paul Pogba:

“He’s a very exciting player, a midfielder who can play pretty much all across the midfield. For me he’s a great box-to-box because he’s powerful, he’s good on the ball, he’s tall, he’s strong, he will drive the ball very well.

“He’s very much like a (Aurelien) Tchouameni, or a Paul Pogba, but he’s got more of a defensive mind as well.”

That defensive mind has had a huge contribution to the Toffees’ ability to go unbeaten in the Premier League over their last five outings as he’s made 2.8 tackles, won 1.2 interceptions, completed 1.7 clearances and won six duels per game so far. Thus, Lampard will be thrilled he finally has a midfielder he can truly rely on to leave everything on the pitch in his performance.

Thanks to the signing of Onana, the Everton boss can finally ditch out-of-favour Allan with speculation that the £21m Brazilian dud could be about to make his exit from Goodison Park over the coming days and weeks.

Lampard spoke out in his pre-match press conference over the weekend about the midfielder’s exclusion from the team over the season so far:

“You have to make those decisions sometimes. We’ll see over the next week or two.”

The £120k-per-week midfielder who was dubbed “slow” by Gabriel Agbonlahor doesn’t appear to have any chance of getting back into this team after Lampard acquired the services of Onana and James Garner this summer, and now the team are performing with stability this season without Allan it is looking like his days are numbered.

With that being said, Lampard has a big decision to make on the Brazilian’s future at the club as he is not only one of the oldest members of the squad at 31 years old, but also one of the highest earners and if he is not in the manager’s plans he has to go.

Fulham have made another bid to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz.

What’s the news?

That’s according to David Ornstein who reported on Deadline Day: “Fulham have submitted an improved second offer to sign striker Ben Brereton Diaz from Blackburn Rovers. Latest proposal for 23yo Chile international believed to have been rejected immediately. Contracted until 2023.”

The Chile international originally joined Blackburn on a loan deal from Nottingham Forest in the 2018 summer transfer window before becoming a permanent fixture at Ewood Park in the 2019 January window.

With 134 appearances for the Lancashire club under his belt across all competitions, the 23-year-old has scored 33 goals and delivered 13 assists along the way.

Silva needs him

Last season saw the attacker find the net 22 times in 37 league appearances, leaving only Aleksandar Mitrovic (43) and Dominic Solanke (29) with more goals.

In the six league appearances he’s made so far this season, the player has completed the full 90 minutes on five occasions and scored two goals with one assist to his name as well.

This highlights just how important he is to the Lancashire club, as well as why Fulham are keen on signing him.

Hailed as an “extraordinary” player by Tony Mowbray, Brereton Diaz has played the majority of his league games this season on the left-hand side of the pitch rather than the centre-forward position.

This means that should he end up at Fulham before tonight’s deadline, this would allow Marco Silva to play him on the left and keep Mitrovic in the middle.

With Manor Solomon out injured, this could make it easier for the Chilean to get into the starting XI at Craven Cottage, meaning his addition could well be a crucial one for the London club to complete.

It strongly highlights the need for Silva to bring in a player like Brereton Diaz to help his side continue their strong start to the season, especially in front of goal as only five clubs having scored more goals than Fulham (8) at this stage of the campaign. Indeed, the manager certainly requires all the goals he can get his hands on in order to beat the dreaded drop.

It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the club can now get a deal over the line, with a previously reported price tag of £20m on his shoulders.

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Stade Rennais right-back Hamari Traore this summer, and Patrick Vieira would be better signing the 30-year-old than re-signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

French news outlet Foot Mercato suggested earlier this month that the Eagles were keen to sign the Ligue 1 star after his superb performances in the French top-flight last season.

Another man who has also been linked with Palace is Wan-Bissaka after he was made surplus to requirements at Old Trafford by new manager Erik ten Hag.

The 30-year-old contributed three goals and a whopping ten assists in 33 appearances, averaging a superb 7.00 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

For context, only Conor Gallagher would average a higher rating in Palace’s squad last season, which emphasises the quality that the £13k-per-week Malian would add to Vieira’s side.

It is also better than Wan-Bissaka managed (6.91) in Manchester United’s side last season, as he failed to contribute a single goal or assist in 20 Premier League fixtures for the Red Devils.

If Vieira wants to continue playing free-flowing attacking football at Palace this season, then he would surely be better off with Traore, as he can contribute far more in attack than the former Eagles man.

FB Ref emphasises this further, as Traore scored in the 98th percentile for assists for defenders, as well as the 91st percentile and 90th percentile for progressive passes and passes attempted, which demonstrates his ability on the ball.

Wan-Bissaka meanwhile, would score in the 9th, 70th and 17th percentile for the same metrics, which shows that Traore can offer a lot more going forwards.

The defender has been labelled as “instrumental” for Stade Rennais and considering his contract is set to expire at the end of this season, he could prove to be a bargain addition to Vieira’s side this summer.

He also offers far more experience than the 24-year-old Wan-Bissaka, who will be low on confidence after a disappointing spell at Manchester United, whereas Traore would arrive at Selhurst Park on the back of the best season of his career.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Southampton will find it difficult to sign Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer.

The Lowdown: Hudson-Odoi wants Chelsea exit

The Guardian reported last weekend that the 21-year-old has asked to leave the Premier League giants on loan in a bid to find more game time, and after being omitted from the Blues’ match-day squad for their opening day victory against Everton, an exit looks highly likely.

Fabrizio Romano first credited the Saints with an interest in the forward when he revealed that they have enquired about his availability, but there are doubts regarding the possibility of a deal being pulled off.

The Latest: Jones shares Saints concern

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones admitted that he thinks Hudson-Odoi won’t view Southampton as an ideal club for him to join in comparison with other offers he might receive. He said:

“Southampton is the one that has been most widely circulated. I’m not wholly convinced, at this point in time, that Hudson-Odoi sees that as the best place for him.”

The Verdict: Good deal for both parties?

If Ralph Hasenhuttl could convince Hudson-Odoi to put pen to paper at St. Mary’s, he would be a wonderful addition to the squad, even if it is temporary.

The Chelsea starlet only made 11 starts in the top-flight last season due to injury, but managed to make a positive impact when given the chance, averaging 1.7 key passes and 1.2 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Hudson-Odoi wants minutes under his belt and he could be a guaranteed starter under the Austrian if he hits the ground running, so a move to the south coast could be a lot more appealing than he thinks.

Nottingham Forest are said to be close to securing the signing of Lewis O’Brien this summer, and an update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s progress in completing a move for the player.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Jacque Talbot, the signing of the Huddersfield Town midfielder will happen this summer for Steve Cooper’s side.

Talbot told GIVEMESPORT: “I think the Lewis O’Brien one, they’ll get that over the line soon from Huddersfield, that will happen.

“I think Forest must do a few more outgoings to bring anyone in at this point, but the O’Brien one certainly has got legs there. And I imagine that will be sort of done relatively soon.”

Cooper will be buzzing

There is no doubt that Cooper will be buzzing that the deal for O’Brien is close to being completed. It would be Forest’s eighth signing of the transfer window but the first new midfielder to join the squad at the City Ground since they won promotion back to the Premier League.

Forest have pretty much strengthened every other area of their squad so far, from signing goalkeeper Dean Henderson to securing the signature of striker Taiwo Awoniyi, so it’s safe to say that the manager is determined to bolster and improve his squad ahead of their return to the top flight.

O’Brien impressed over the last 12 months with Huddersfield and played a huge part in the Terriers’ successful Championship campaign, which had a bittersweet ending when they lost out on promotion to in the play-off final against… Nottingham Forest.

Over 43 appearances last term, he completed the most tackles (59) of anyone at Huddersfield. Indeed, only two players in the entire division exceeded him in this regard.

The 23-year-old Huddersfield academy graduate has made 130 senior appearances for the Terriers, scoring eight goals and delivering 10 assists for his boyhood club, but could be now given the golden opportunity to take the next step in his career and join Cooper’s team in the Premier League.

Forest are showing no signs of slowing down in their pursuit to build a team which can complete in the top tier next season, and it will be interesting to see who they look to next if, as now seems likely, they complete the signing of O’Brien.

AND in other news: Paul Taylor issues huge transfer claim that’ll excite Forest supporters

Aston Villa have been heavily linked with Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer and his signing could finally allow Steven Gerrard to axe Villa flop Morgan Sanson.

Following a superb season on loan with Crystal Palace, where his performances earned him a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, Gallagher has not been short of suitors so far this summer.

It is still unclear whether or not he will get guaranteed football at Stamford Bridge and Villa could offer him regular first-team minutes ahead of the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The 22-year-old contributed eight goals and three assists in 34 appearances for Patrick Vieira’s side last season, averaging a superb 7.08 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The French manager was certainly a big fan of the 22-year-old, as he praised him last season, saying:

“He has got so much strength, so much power, so much mobility, but it’s about finding the right time to use his energy.

“He is unbelievable, and he is like that in life as well. He gives everything in every relationship with his teammates and he plays in the same way as he is in his life.”

Villa definitely seem to be in the market for a central midfielder this summer and should the England international arrive – with Chelsea reportedly willing to sell the youngster for a figure in the region of £50m – you feel it would put the final nail in Sanson’s Villa career.

Since signing from Marseille in a £16m deal in 2021, the Frenchman has made just 20 appearances for the Villans, in which he has failed to contribute a single goal or assist.

The signing of Gallagher would surely give Gerrard enough cover in midfield and Sanson could finally be axed, with his old side Marseille said to be interested in re-signing him in a £10m deal.

Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, his move to England has simply not worked out, emphasised by his shocking 6.34 average rating in the Premier League last season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“659225”]

Therefore, Villa fans will be hoping that a deal for Gallagher can be done, as it would surely bring an end to Sanson’s nightmare spell at the club.

AND in other news: Journo drops Villa claim on gem dubbed the “heir to Iniesta”, Gerrard would love him

Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now revealed some significant Everton news involving Harry Winks and Richarlison.

The Lowdown: Swap deal?

The Goodison Park outfit have been strongly linked with a move for Tottenham midfielder Winks throughout the window so far, while Spurs have been linked with a move for Richarlison.

It begs the question as to whether the two Premier League clubs could potentially arrange a swap deal involving the two players, with Spurs giving some extra cash to sweeten it.

The Latest: Romano gives transfer update

Taking to Twitter, Romano has now shared an update on both players’ situations, claiming that a potential move for Richarlison ‘was discussed in talks’ between both clubs over Winks, as the latter ‘could’ be included in a swap deal.

The Italian journalist claimed: “Tottenham are still well informed on Richarlison – was discussed during talks for Harry Winks-Everton. Richarlison would be open to Spurs move #THFC. It also depends on Raphinha domino.

“Winks talks going slow, as he could be included in Richarlison talks or separated deal.”

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

The Verdict: Depends on Tottenham offer…

Whether Everton should accept a swap deal involving Winks and Richarlison should depend on how much money Spurs are prepared to throw in along with the Englishman to bring in the Brazil international.

Winks is currently rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, while Richarlison is worth significantly more at £43.2m, so the north London club would surely have to stump up some extra cash to make a swap deal viable.

Moreover, the Brazilian would be very difficult to replace at Goodison Park given that he finished as the Toffees’ top scorer and highest-rated performer in the Premier League last season (WhoScored), so they could do with a significant amount of extra money from any potential Richarlison/Winks swap deal.