All posts by h79snht.top

Arsenal are flying this season, with the north London club currently topping the Premier League by five points and assuredly clinching top spot in their Europa League group. 

What’s the word?

With such impressive form, though, comes the unwanted advances of some of the sport’s most illustrious clubs; according to 90min, Manchester City are interested in pursuing a deal for one of the Gunners’ most valuable young assets in Bukayo Saka.

The 21-year-old has gone from strength to strength across the past few years, graduating from the Hale End academy and now flourishing as an integral attacking option for both club and country, scoring three times in England’s recent World Cup run. 

With Saka’s contract set to expire in 2024, and Mikel Arteta desperate to tie him down to a new deal, Arsenal might have to face the nauseous prospect of parting with their homegrown gem, should a new agreement fail to materialise.

A lucrative star

Arsenal’s €120m (£103m)-valued winger, as rated by the CIES Football Observatory, has truly been one of the driving forces behind his club’s monumental ascension to prominence.

Having scored five goals and delivered six assists across 20 club outings so far this term, Saka’s offensive prowess and blend of pace, weaving runs and creative flair, iced with a growing prolific nature in direct forward moments, has made him one of the most highly-regarded youngsters in world football, earning him a nomination for the Kopa Trophy this year.

In the Premier League this season, the 21-year-old has an average Sofascore rating of 7.22, averaging 2.1 shots per match and completing 84% of his passes, demonstrating a ball-playing prowess which complements his precision in his relentless wide attacking role. 

Should Arsenal be inclined to sell their flourishing winger, a lucrative fee would surely be demanded; and with City boasting opulence unrivalled by most clubs worldwide and strengthening ties between the two teams – Gunners boss Arteta was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at City, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus also swapping the Etihad for the Emirates – a deal could well be forged. 

City have already shown that they are willing to spend big to lure players from Premier League rivals, signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m and Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for £60m, hinting that a lofty price tag would do little to deter them in any pursuit of Saka.

Arsenal would have a task on their hands in rebuffing any interest from their title rivals, but with their “starboy” a member of the club since his youth career and the team currently flying, Edu might be able to ward off advances from elsewhere.

However, should they decide to cash in on the 21-year-old, the seismic fee that the Gunners’ “revelation” – as hailed by club legend Ray Parlour – will attract could enable them to delve into the transfer market and replace him with a marquee signing of their own.

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing Wolves winger Adama Traore alongside heavily linked Sporting Lisbon defender Pedro Porro, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs want wing-back…

Spurs boss Antonio Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici are currently targeting the fresh addition of a right-wing-back ahead of January.

The Italian head coach is thought to be dissatisfied with current options Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal as repeated links emerge to the likes of Porro.

Chasing a second-successive finish in the Premier League top four, signing a new wing-back appears to be among Conte’s top transfer priorities.

The Latest: Tottenham eye Traore move…

According to a recent claim, alongside Porro – who remains of real interest – Spurs are also thought to be eyeing Molineux attacker Traore, just as they were earlier in the year.

[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”]

90min claim that, ‘in addition to Porro and [Denzel] Dumfries’ , the Lilywhites ‘retain a long-standing interest’ in the 26-year-old, who ‘came close’ to a north London move last January.

Traore is seen as someone who could fit Conte’s mould of a makeshift right-wing-back, and a further incentive for Paratici and co is that his deal expires in 2023.

The Verdict: Right man?

Hailed by pundit Noel Whelan as the ‘perfect fit’ and a ‘game-changer’ , the former Barcelona player can be a truly devastating asset when at peak form.

The Spaniard has failed to find that season, but over the course of 2021/2022, he proved that his dribbling and take-on ability can be near unstoppable.

He averaged a brilliant 4.2 successful take-ons per 90 before signing for Barcelona on loan for the second half of last season, which hints at why he was once valued at £100m.

Spurs could sign the wide man for much, much less than that now and it’s certainly something they should consider.

West Ham United were linked with a move for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski during the summer transfer window and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, if the player doesn’t sign an extension to his contract, the Serie A side will look to sell him in the summer.

This could be great news for David Moyes, and he could even test Napoli’s resolve with a bid for the Polish international during January as he would be an excellent addition to the side.

In fact, by signing Zielinski, Moyes could secure his very own Martin Odegaard, and with the form the Norwegian midfielder has been in this season, registering 12 goal contributions and averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.57/10 for his Premier League performances this season, it isn’t bad company to be compared to.

The Arsenal star is first-most comparable to Odegaard via FBref’s similar player model and West Ham would certainly benefit from someone with his qualities in the heart of their midfield.

The two players have registered extremely similar statistics when it comes to assists (five to four), shots on target per match (1.09 to 0.93), pass completion rate (80.1% to 79.1%), and goal-creating actions (both seven).

These stats clearly indicate that the two offer a solid attacking threat from the midfield area and will create plenty of opportunities for teammates.

The £107k-per-week sensation has been dubbed a “baller” by journalist Patrick Boyland in the past and the last few years have seen the player develop into one of the most underrated players in Italy.

Signing him, either in January or the summer, would signify a statement of intent by Moyes and it would be a move that would vastly improve the West Ham starting XI.

It’s evident that something needs to change over the coming months if the club doesn’t want to be embroiled in a relegation battle, and if that means splashing out on a couple of new signings in the winter transfer window, then it might well save Moyes’ job.

Tottenham Hotspur are now trailing AFC Bournemouth in the race to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ McKennie interest

Tottenham’s interest in McKennie is well documented, with the club making contact with the player’s entourage back in November to scope out a potential move, while they were also recently considered among the favourites to sign him.

Speaking on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham Podcast, journalist Alasdair Gold claimed that Fabio Paratici ‘adores’ the American and would sign him for Spurs ‘in a heartbeat’ (via To The Lane And Back), but AFC Bournemouth now appear to be leading the chase.

The Latest: Bournemouth swoop in

According to a report from CalcioMercato, Bournemouth are the club who have taken the most ‘concrete’ steps towards signing the 24-year-old, who Juventus are now said to be willing to sacrifice.

The Italian club want at least £31m for the midfielder, and the Cherries are preparing to make an official offer in the coming days, so Daniel Levy will have to move swiftly to hijack the move after the Cherries nipped in before the Spurs chief.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-updates-2/” title=”Tottenham latest updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Another blow for Conte

Antonio Conte has made it very clear that he wants new reinforcements at N17, so he will be disappointed that another player appears to have slipped through the club’s fingers, with the deal for Pedro Porro reportedly collapsing as well over a reluctance to pay his release clause.

In truth, central-midfield is probably the one area in which the Italian will feel that he has sufficient strength in depth, with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur impressing so far, the latter being ranked as the second-best performer in the squad.

However, it is always a bonus to have additional options available, and McKennie, who has been lauded as a ‘monster’ by sports writer Wes Rucker, has evident ability, as indicated by nine goals in 41 caps for the USMNT.

Everton have been credited with an interest in Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom recently and the in-form forward could prove to be the next Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park.

According to the Daily Mail, Everton, Crystal Palace and Southampton are all keen on the 27-year-old, who currently leads the way for goals scored in the second tier this season with 13 strikes to his name.

The former Arsenal man has exploded into life under new manager Michael Carrick and boasts ten goals in his last 12 appearances for the Riverside outfit, so it is easy to see why he is attracting Premier League interest this month, especially from the clubs mentioned in the report, who are all struggling for goals at the moment.

Carrick was full of praise for his main man when he hit a hat-trick against Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic, highlighting precisely why he’d be such a good addition in Merseyside.

He said: “I am delighted for Chuba, he’ll get the headlines and rightly so because he’s a huge threat at the moment for us, and is getting his rewards in front of goal.

“But it’s more about his performances and what he brings to the team, his link-up play and taking up clever positions that give other people space.”

Neal Maupay and Calvert-Lewin have scored just two goals between them this season and it seems clear that Frank Lampard needs attacking additions in the transfer window if he wants to keep his job with the Merseyside outfit.

While Everton’s once talismanic forward has failed to fill the void left by Richarlison this season, he has shown that he can be a quality Premier League striker in the past, hitting 16 league goals in the 2020/21 campaign.

Like Akpom, Calvert-Lewin was playing in the lower leagues of English football when he joined the club from Sheffield United and had to work hard until he established himself as a regular in the Toffees’ first team.

The Middlesbrough man was once highly thought of in Arsenal’s academy, with Arsene Wenger dubbing him “dangerous” but he failed to make the grade in the Premier League as a youngster and has since spent time abroad with the likes of PAOK and Sint-Truidense in Greece and Belgium respectively.

However, he has now returned to English football with devastating effect and could save Everton from relegation in the second half of the campaign should he replicate his form with Boro in the top flight with the Toffees.

Akpom could do a similar job to Calvert-Lewin as a target man in the Everton attack, as WhoScored suggests that both players like to flick the ball on, which suggests they excel in the air.

Therefore, Everton should definitely look to bring the Middlesbrough man to the Premier League this month.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence under Julen Lopetegui, losing just once in five matches and that was to a very late Manchester United winner.

The feel-good factor is coming back to Molineux and there is genuine hope that the Spaniard could keep the club in the Premier League following their woeful start to the season under Bruno Lage.

With the transfer window open, thoughts will now turn to who Lopetegui could bring to the club that will give them that extra edge ahead of a crucial few months ahead.

According to the Evening Standard, Wolves are interested in signing young Greek talent Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK alongside the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, with the player valued at around the £10m mark.

It looks like Lopetegui is aiming to bring young talent to the Midlands and this is proof that he is looking at this role as a long-term opportunity to build an exciting team.

Konstantelias operates mainly on the left wing, coming onto his preferred right foot with talent scout Jacek Kulig even likening him to Eden Hazard at the end of last year, citing some of his strengths as “pace, acceleration, dribbling, technique, ball control, creativity, agility, flair” and these are the type of traits the Belgian sensation utilised so well during his fruitful spell in the Premier League.

Across seven years at Chelsea, Hazard was arguably one of the finest left-wingers in the world, and he was able to both score and create plenty of opportunities for his teammates in near equal measure.

He scored 110 times and registered 92 assists in 352 games for the London side and while Konstantelias is still young and continuing his development, being compared to someone like Hazard is a testament to just how much talent he possesses.

In 14 matches this campaign, the Greek teenager has managed to assist four goals, although he has yet to find the back of the net himself while recording 1.3 key passes on average per match.

The head of Agia Pareskevi’s academy – the Greek’s first club – Alexandros Malakasiotis lavished high praise on the youngster, saying: “Such a player does not emerge every day. Not even every 50 years… For me, he is a phenomenon. If you see how he passes and moves into space, you will understand what he is about.”

He could be a wonderful investment for the future and Lopetegui will be having serious thoughts about luring him to Molineux.

Everton are in an unstable situation yet again in the Premier League after enduring a difficult relegation scrap last season and Frank Lampard will certainly be feeling the pressure ahead of the Southampton clash this weekend, as another defeat could be the final nail in the coffin for the manager.

The Toffees are currently 18th in the league table after tallying up the third-fewest goals over their first 18 outings, so taking all three points from their next game will be crucial in their chances to gain points on their relegation rivals and climb out of the bottom three as soon as possible.

Indeed, there are still 20 fixtures and 60 points available to collect for Everton over the remainder of the season and utilising the golden opportunity to strengthen their attacking threat over the rest of this month is crucial. Indeed, they are truly in need of a consistent and reliable goal-scorer who can kill games and trouble opponents during the second half of the season, perhaps someone in the mould of Romelu Lukaku?

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Goodison Park is Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres and if the talented goal machine can emulate his Championship form this season so far in the Premier League he would be a huge asset to Lampard going into their challenging push for survival.

Over 25 league appearances, the Swedish striker has scored 12 goals, registered one assist and created three big chances, whilst averaging 1.7 successful dribbles and taking 1.4 shots on target, proving himself to be a ruthless offensive threat.

Also possessing a supreme dose of physicality, having won 5.6 duels per game, that Lukaku comparison may well ring true as Lampard goes in search of finally bringing a new version of the Belgian forward to Goodison.

Words from Coventry manager Mark Robins is perhaps the finest indication yet of his Lukaku-like abilities, combining finishing prowess with athletic qualities. Indeed, he once said:

“He’s not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination but he has some unbelievable ability – power, technique. He has got everything in his locker and that desire and hunger to score goals.”

Standing at 6 foot 2, Gyokeres is a similar height to Lukaku who stands at a slightly taller frame of 6 foot 3. With that in mind, it’s clear that not only do they share many similarities in their style of play, but they are also built comparably.

The duo are incredibly prolific, use their height to their advantage and utilise their physicality to push opponents away in dangerous positions in order to score.

With that being said, the signing of Gyokeres would be a major addition for the Toffees if they could secure his services over the next few weeks. Providing he could bring his desire for goals and follow in the footsteps of Lukaku at Goodison Park it would give the club their best chance of survival this season.

Tottenham Hotspur will likely receive a lot of interest in Harry Kane over the summer transfer window with Bayern Munich confident they can prise him away.

What’s the latest?

There have been reports surrounding potential interest coming from Bayern in the England captain for a number of months now and it seems the interest is not going away.

Reports over his future lying away from north London are beginning to pick up again amid the Lilywhites’ struggles in the Premier League.

It has been suggested by a club insider that the 29-year-old is not engaging in conversations over a new deal to extend his stay at Spurs.

And speaking to Football FanCast, insider Dean Jones has now claimed the Bundesliga giants are quite optimistic about their chances of signing Kane in the summer:

“The Bayern Munich link is interesting. They are genuinely quite optimistic that they can get Harry Kane, I’ve always been a bit unsure about whether that could actually be plausible, but there’s so many boxes that they tick in terms of what they could offer him, and obviously, the chance to win trophies. So I definitely think that that is a possible option for Harry Kane.”

Finally time to leave

Kane has been a sensational servant for the Lilywhites over the years and is set to break the club’s goalscoring record with Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 just a couple of goals away from being broken.

However, there do seem to be serious concerns as to whether the England captain will be playing his football in north London after this season.

The 29-year-old will on have one-year remaining on his deal in the summer and as Paul O’Keefe has suggested, he does not appear to be considering a new deal and Daniel Levy would not deny him a move this time if the right opportunity arises.

It has become apparent over the last couple of years that although this is Kane’s boyhood club, he would be willing to leave with the striker previously showing his interest in signing for Manchester City in 2021.

Now what is interesting is at the time, Kane participated in an interview on The Overlap where he told Gary Neville that a move abroad actually does not appeal to him:

“Of course there’s always the option of maybe moving abroad one day but I don’t think that really interests me in the near future,” he said.

With Alan Shearer’s all-time goal record still to play for, it would be interesting to see whether Kane would prioritise a move to another Premier League club in the summer.

Or whether he would view Bayern as a great opportunity to finally get his hands on some silverware given they have now won the Bundesliga for 10 consecutive seasons and the Champions League twice in the last 10 campaigns.

Although it may pain a lot of Spurs fans to think about this, if Kane is unwilling to extend his deal, perhaps the best option will be to cash in on whilst they can and look to put that money into somehow replacing him.

Presenter ExWHUemployee has claimed that Rafa Benitez is his personal favourite to become West Ham United manager if David Moyes is sacked.

What’s the word?

Seeing as the Hammers currently sit just two places and one spot above the bottom three having managed just five wins from 20 Premier League games so far, the current boss could be on his way out of the club soon.

And while a win over Everton on the weekend may have eased some of the pressure – the same couldn’t be said about his opposition number Frank Lampard – Moyes isn’t quite out of the woods just yet.

Indeed, if form remains inconsistent it’s hard to imagine he will remain in the job for much longer, although the board will supposedly back him for the time being.

That is according to Ex who has revealed that Moyes almost certainly be in charge for the club’s next game against Derby County in the FA Cup.

However, the insider did also tip Benitez as his favourite to potentially come in, explaining on Monday’s edition of The West Ham Way podcast: “I think there’s nothing, no manager you could say is definitely the one for West Ham.

“But Rafa Benitez, if I was to put money on it being one of them, it would be him at the moment with Sean Dyche maybe an outside one at the moment.

“But they’ve [the board] already stated they want to stick with Moyes. I’d be hugely surprised if David Moyes is not the manager for Derby.”

Time for a change?

Beyond this personal call by Ex, Benitez has actually been linked with the job in a recent report by The Telegraph which also named Nuno Espirito Santo as an option to come in and help steady the ship until the end of the season.

Of course, with Lampard being sacked this week, Everton are in the market for a new manager which could take some options away from West Ham.

For instance, Dyche seems to be in the running for that job with the Toffees. If he was to end up in Merseyside, it would surely only enhance Benitez’s chances of joining the Hammers.

Having spent time at Everton, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the past, the Spaniard certainly could be expected to come in and make an immediate impact if the Irons need.

For now, though, it seems as though Moyes will be given every chance to turn things around himself.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is now ‘open to signing a new contract’ with the Premier League giants, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Attracting interest

The England captain has now entered the final 18 months of his deal in the capital, but having not yet committed to extending his stay, his future has been up in the air for the past couple of transfer windows.

Bayern Munich have made themselves public admirers following their failed pursuit last summer, whilst Manchester United are the latest club to have been linked with a move for the 29-year-old as Erik Ten Hag searches for a new permanent centre-forward.

The Lilywhites, however, have now learnt their talisman’s stance, and it’s positive news for all…

The Latest: Ornstein’s update

Taking to Twitter, Ornstein revealed that Spurs and Kane have scheduled a fresh round of contract discussions for next month, with the attacker hoping to put pen to paper on a new agreement.

“EXCL: Harry Kane open to signing new contract at Tottenham. No dialogue since summer 2021 but talks planned for after Jan window. If circumstances right, possible 29yo will now extend past 2024. Striker’s priority is to succeed with #THFC.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-3/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Massive boost

Kane has been dubbed a ‘monster’ by teammate Son Heung-Min and it would be a huge boost for Tottenham if he was to pledge himself for the foreseeable future.

The Nike-sponsored star has clocked up an outstanding 327 goal contributions in 414 senior appearances in the capital and proves to be a constant threat even in the very occasional dry spell, currently averaging 3.6 shots per top-flight game. He ranks highly among strikers in Europe’s top leagues for nearly every single goalscoring and creative metric (FBRef).

Antonio Conte will know the impact Kane has on his side and he’s undoubtedly a favourite among supporters, with the chances of the club achieving success in the future made more possible with their star man still in the building.