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Midlands-based football journalist Josh Holland has made a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and their former transfer target Adama Traore. 

The lowdown: Stuttering career

After spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan back where it all began at Barcelona, the Spain winger has reached an impasse in what was once a promising career.

Expected to return to Wolves this summer, the 26-year-old had been deemed surplus to requirements under Bruno Lage as Spurs actively pursued a move when Nuno Espirito Santo was in the Tottenham hot seat last autumn.

That interest had since appeared to have cooled from north London, although one informed onlooker believes that Tottenham could reignite their admiration for the rapid winger…

The latest: Holland on Traore

Discussing the future of Traore and Spurs-linked Ruben Neves with GiveMeSport, Holland suggested that Tottenham could foreseeably reignite their interest in the Spaniard.

He said: “I think the Traore one is a more difficult circumstance than the Neves one. I think Neves has been respectful the whole time. Traore has to the public, but we don’t know what’s happened within the changing room.

“I won’t be surprised if Tottenham swoop round for him again, or another Spanish team come in for him, but I can’t see him playing at Wolves next season.”

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The verdict: Worth the risk

Despite his ineffectiveness in front of goal, the powerful winger still possesses all of the physical attributes which make him such a threat; and if used in the right way, Antonio Conte could be adding a potential wildcard star to the Tottenham ranks.

The eight-cap Spain winger scored just once and managed only four assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona and Wolves in 2021/22, highlighting a worrying absence of clinical end product.

Nonetheless, signing the man who Jetro Willems called a ‘beast’ and said was harder to face than Cristiano Ronaldo due to his incredible speed for anything south of his Transfermarkt valuation of £18m would remain a worthwhile move for Tottenham, as Conte and Fabio Paratici attempt to strengthen the attacking ranks in north London.

In other news: ‘Being negotiated’ – Club now want their ‘sensational’ star to join Tottenham! Find out more here

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco recently and the Belgian could be a superb addition to Steven Gerrard’s side.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish news outlet Sport (17:57 in live blog), Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle are all interested in the 28-year-old this summer, with a departure from the Wanda Metropolitano seemingly on the cards.

They claim that Newcastle United see him as their main target this summer but Villa and Spurs are also potential bidders, with all three sides undoubtedly targeting European qualification next season.

Coutinho 2.0?

Carrasco would be another huge name for Villa to bring in this summer, having already secured the permanent signing of Philippe Coutinho following his impressive loan spell last season.

Like the mini-Brazilian, Carrasco has experience at the very top, having regularly appeared for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, while he also has won the Europa League and La Liga during his time with Los Colchoneros.

Last season saw the Belgium international contribute six goals and six assists for Atletico, averaging an impressive 7.08 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the top-flight.

This was a better return than any winger in Villa’s squad last season in terms of both goals and assists, so he could definitely add some quality in Gerrard’s side next season.

Diego Simeone was full of praise for the winger after he arrived from AS Monaco, saying:

“Carrasco is growing based on the effort he made to suit the characteristics of the team,” he said. “We’re happy [about] his performance. Goals [are] his speciality.

“He’s a guy who is used to scoring important goals. He is a player that has certain attributes, that [is] why he is at Atletico.”

Previous reports have suggested that Villa will need to spend up to £50m to bring in Carrasco this summer but if he could have a similar impact to Coutinho, who was only behind Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins in terms of goal contributions last season despite joining in January, then he would surely be worth the risk.

And, in other news… Gerrard heading for summer transfer disaster

West Ham United boss David Moyes could be about to make a significant error this summer, according to the latest reports…

What’s the word?

As per Claret and Hugh, the former Manchester United manager is reluctant to ‘spend big’ on a new centre-forward this summer, despite the current dearth of options in that position in the Hammers’ squad.

The report suggests that the Scotsman may once more rely on the services of Michail Antonio to lead the line, with the 59-year-old unwilling to break the bank as he looks to ‘stretch’ his budget as far as possible.

The belief is that Moyes views reported targets Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez as simply too expensive, despite having reportedly placed a £60m bid for the latter man back in January.

Supporters fuming

Although the report does outline that a striker may still arrive through the door, the fact that the club are seemingly unwilling to splash the cash on a notable upgrade will come as a real source of anger for supporters, as not securing a top-class striker could well be Moyes’ biggest mistake in the window yet.

At present, the only senior, recognised number nine in the squad is Michail Antonio, with the player himself having even admitted that a new forward could be needed, in order to help shoulder the burden and provide renewed competition.

Perhaps Moyes and co will simply recruit a cheaper, backup option to the Jamaica international, although there are concerns as to whether he is the man to lead the line long-term, despite currently ranking as the club’s top scorer in Premier League history.

A return of ten league goals in the 2021/22 campaign is no doubt respectable, although the Irons undoubtedly suffered when the former Nottingham Forest man hit a dry spell at the turn of the year, netting just three top-flight goals in 2022 – two of which came during the last three games of the season.

The 32-year-old does undoubtedly have his plus points, receiving notable praise from Pep Guardiola after the 2-2 draw with Manchester City a few weeks ago, although the jury is out on whether he can really put a consistent run of goalscoring form together across an entire season.

The prospect of heading into another campaign with the Wandsworth-born colossus as the sole striker will not sit well with supporters, with West Ham still yet to find a replacement for club-record flop Sebastian Haller, despite the Frenchman having departed back in January 2021.

IN other news, “Another target…”: Ex drops big WHU summer transfer claim that supporters will love

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have opened talks to sign a ‘scary’ player for manager Antonio Conte, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new defender…

As reliably reported, a central defender is high on Conte’s list of priorities this summer window with the two top targets appearing to be RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Inter Milan sensation Alessandro Bastoni (The Athletic).

The latter man in particular is heavily linked with a move to north London and the Premier League with much being made over whether he could be Tottenham’s next summer signing.

If Spurs can’t get their man, Paratici and co may have to turn to other options, with Sport now claiming there has been an interesting development involving Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Latest: Paratici opens talks?

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According to their information, Spurs and by extension their sporting director have ‘turned to’ the entourage of Serie A’s colossal centre-back to ‘start talks’.

Chelsea and Juventus have also made contact with Koulibaly’s representatives, but according to this report, the Senegal star favours a move to Barcelona.

The Verdict: Pull out?

The £183,000-per-week star, labelled ‘scary’ by Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, certainly holds no shortage of quality.

As per WhoScored, Koulibaly averaged more clearances per 90 than any of his teammates in the Italian top flight over 2021/2022 whilst finishing the season as Napoli’s fourth-best performer in terms of average match rating.

Once valued at a whopping £130 million release clause, if his club wish to make any money, they may have to sell for considerably less this summer as Koulibaly enters the final year of his deal.

Taking all of this into account, a deal for the 30-year-old may actually be worth pursuing given Conte’s love for experienced and proven players.

In other news: Tottenham will now attempt eight-figure agreement to sign ‘incredible’ speedster…find out more here.

Steven Gerrard has suffered what can only be described as a Jekyll and Hyde start to his Premier League managerial career with Aston Villa.

A solid start in the Midlands was quickly forgotten following a poor festive period, and following their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City last Sunday, they ended up in 14th place, three positions worse off than in 2020/21.

Gerrard has already begun to plan ahead for next season, though, securing the signings of Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos, and Boubacar Kamara as he aims to rejuvenate a playing squad which should be capable of finishing in the top half of the table.

The 41-year-old has shown interest in Rangers defender Calvin Bassey recently, although it’s a deal for another defender in Sven Botman which could really excite the supporters.

The Telegraph have stated that Villa are one of the clubs who are keen on the 22-year-old Lille defender and are waiting in the wings in case his proposed move to Serie A champions AC Milan doesn’t happen.

Villa Park would be rocking

The centre-back has been described as a “leader” by former Lille manager Christophe Galtier, and with his agent Francesco Miniero lauding him as a “golden boy”, the future looks bright for the Dutchman.

It was reported in April that a €33m (£28m) move to Milan was close to completion, although nothing has been confirmed yet, so Villa should strike when they get the chance.

Botman ranks third in the Lille squad this season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.83, winning 2.3 aerial duels per game. This would rank him joint-third in the Villa squad for that metric, with only Kortney Hause (2.9) and Calum Chambers (2.4) more dominant in the air.

If Gerrard can pull off this deal, it would signal a huge statement of intent from the Midlands club. Milan will be appearing in the Champions League next season, so turning that opportunity down in order to play in the Premier League would leave the Villa Park faithful absolutely rocking.

It could well be a very interesting transfer window for the club’s supporters, if this month’s activity is anything to go by.

AND in other news, Gerrard must brutally axe “fortunate” AVFC dud in deal for “astonishing” £25m monster

Both Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano have provided an update on Manchester United’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

The Lowdown: De Jong contact

Erik ten Hag has already made a head start when it comes to summer transfer business at Old Trafford, holding a planning meeting in Amsterdam last week.

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He has now terminated his Ajax contract six weeks early in order to get going in England, and a reunion with De Jong seems to be high up on his agenda.

Contact has been made over a possible move and Barcelona’s financial situation may impact where De Jong is playing his football from next season.

The Latest: Updates

Romano took to Twitter on Tuesday, stating that Champions League football is a priority for De Jong next season. He did add that ‘United will try again’ and that Ten Hag would ‘love’ to change the midfielder’s mind over a transfer.

Plettenberg reacted to Romano’s post, believing a move to Old Trafford for De Jong ‘could become one of the biggest transfers in summer’, describing United’s pursuit as ‘hot’.

The Verdict: Marquee addition?

Midfielders will be needed at Old Trafford this summer, with Nemanja Matic set to leave and Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata all out of contract at the end of June.

De Jong could prove to be the marquee midfield signing as Barcelona would reportedly want around £85m for his services. Ten Hag would know how to get the best out of him following the pair’s successful relationship at Ajax, however, with Champions League football a priority, a transfer could be complicated.

Plettenberg has stated that it ‘could become one of the biggest transfers’ this summer, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if this dragged on over the coming months.

In other news: ‘Important’ Man Utd arrival now in ‘final stages’ after Ten Hag approves deal. 

Rangers rounded off their Premiership campaign with a comfortable 3-1 victory, ensuring that they go into their two finals next week on a positive note.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst majorly rotated his team from Wednesday night, resting the likes of James Tavernier and Allan McGregor ahead of the upcoming Europa League final next Wednesday.

The manager handed debuts to Adam Devine, with substitute appearances by Tony Weston and Cole McKinnon showing that Van Bronckhorst trusts the academy stars, and some could have bright futures at Ibrox.

This afternoon, Hearts took the lead through Peter Haring midway through the first half before Rangers fought back through forgotten man Cedric Itten and academy sensation Alex Lowry to head into the interval with a 2-1 lead.

The Light Blues scored a third goal late on, a first in senior football for McKinnon, to round off a straightforward win as the biggest week in the club’s recent history approaches.

While some of the precocious young talents made their mark today, one of the standout performers was a member of the Rangers old guard.

Steven Davis may be 37 years of age but he ran the show against Hearts today. In what may be his last league match for the club as his contracts ends over the summer, the veteran won six of his eight duels (75%), the joint-most of any Gers player, along with completing 63 of his 68 passes (93%).

Davis – who pundit Stephen Craigan once described as a “joy to watch” – also made six tackles and two interceptions, earning an overall performance rating of 7.4 on SofaScore, which was the joint-second highest in the team behind Lowry.

The 37-year-old midfielder could add a European medal in midweek when the Gers take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final, and what an end to a wonderful Rangers career it would be. A similar performance to today could go a long way to potentially inspiring Van Bronckhorst and co to glory in Seville on Wednesday night.

AND in other news, Wilson heading for big Rangers disaster on “ridiculous” £6.4k-p/w tank, GvB needs him…

Former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is said to be eyeing up a move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Strong connections

The Portuguese coach signed the 26-year-old when he was in charge of the north London giants just under two years ago, and a matter of months after Mourinho was confirmed as the new manager at Roma, it was reported that the Dane wanted to join him at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Mirror have recently claimed that Hojbjerg is attracting interest from Spurs’ top-flight rivals Newcastle United, with the £100k-per-week star being ‘high’ on Eddie Howe’s wish list, but it seems that a Serie A reunion between the midfielder and his former boss might be on the cards.

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The Latest: Jones’ comments on Hojbjerg

When speaking during an interview about Hojbjerg’s future at Tottenham, Jones told GiveMeSport:

“One thing I’m hearing on Hojbjerg is that Jose Mourinho quite fancies taking him to Roma.

“Next season Jose intends to ask the board to back his vision as he thinks they can make a real push at the top of Serie A – and Hojbjerg could be a great asset.”

The Verdict: Hojbjerg should stay at Spurs

Despite having a successful spell under Mourinho, who once dubbed the 54-cap Denmark international a “phenomenal” player, Hojbjerg has since settled into life at Tottenham, particularly under Antonio Conte, under whom he has started all but two Premier League games this season.

Roma have already failed to secure a Champions League place for next season with the 59-year-old in the dugout, whereas the Lilywhites still very much have a chance of finishing in the Premier League top four come the end of May.

The 6 foot 1 maestro has proven to be one of Conte’s most consistent performers over the course of the Italian’s N17 tenure, and should he have ambitions of playing any kind of European football at the highest level in the future, the best option for him would be to remain in north London and hopefully enjoy more success with Spurs in years to come.

In other news… sources have shared a huge update on one of Tottenham’s summer transfer targets

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, the Magpies are one of a number of clubs hoping to snap him up on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Eddie Howe is plotting a swoop for the striker but will need to fight off interest from Brighton, West Ham and Crystal Palace, among others.

The striker is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt at present.

Huge upgrade on Chris Wood

PIF must ensure that they can work with Howe to get this deal over the line as Nketiah would be a huge upgrade on Wood at the top end of the pitch.

Newcastle brought the New Zealand international in from Burnley during the January transfer window and he has struggled to live up to his £25m value.

Since arriving on Tyneside, he has found the back of the net twice in 16 appearances – once from open play – for the Magpies. He has scored five goals in 33 games for the Clarets and the Toon combined this term – missing nine ‘big chances’ and amassing 8.22 Expected Goals along the way.

Nketiah, meanwhile, has started five Premier League matches for the Gunners and produced four goals and one assist from 4.26 xG. This shows that he is finishing off the chances he is being provided with instead of wasting them, as Wood has been doing throughout the season.

Former Magpies forward Michael Owen previously lavished praise on the Englishman, saying: “He’s very good. He’s got a real smell for it, hasn’t he? He knows where the ball’s going to drop. I like his movement. I like his hunger to score goals. With his attitude, the way he plays, he’s just going to be a goal machine all his career.”

He also excelled in the EFL Cup as he scored five times in four starts in the competition earlier in the season for the Gunners. This means that he has scored nine goals in nine starts for Arsenal in the League Cup and Premier League combined, living up to Owen’s comments on his goalscoring prowess.

Nketiah is also eight years younger than Wood and this means that he has the potential to improve and develop over time. He is already proving himself to be a better striker than the former Burnley man, so imagine how good he can be after a couple of seasons working with Howe.

The £17k-per-week England U21 international would be a major upgrade on the 30-year-old dud and Newcastle must work hard to get this deal done.

AND in other news, “Sources have confirmed”: Edwards drops huge Newcastle claim that’ll excite supporters…

Nottingham Forest are not interested in a January deal for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Marinakis plotting late Bakayoko move

The 28-year-old arrived in the Premier League when he joined the Blues back in 2017, but is currently halfway through a two-year loan with Italian giants AC Milan.

The Reds were believed to be eyeing up a shock late move for the Frenchman in the final days of the summer window, but a deal wasn’t agreed before the deadline.

The Latest: Forest don’t want Bakayoko

Taking to Twitter, Romano denied all claims linking Forest to Bakayoko and insisted that Evangelos Marinakis would not be pursuing a deal in the New Year. He wrote:

“Rumours about Tiemoué Bakayoko to Olympiacos and then to Nottingham Forest in January are wide of mark.”

The Verdict: Waste of money

Hearing the news that Bakayoko won’t be joining Forest will no doubt be music to the ears of most supporters.

The ‘different mentality’ ace, as dubbed by former AC Milan star Lucas Biglia, has failed to make a single appearance in the Serie A so far this season and is currently on £93k-per-week, a salary not worth paying for someone who’d be nothing more than a bench warmer.

Steve Cooper already has the likes of Lewis O’Brien and Cheikhou Kouyate at his disposal in midfield, so making the decision not to pursue Bakayoko is almost definitely the right one.