Tag Futebol

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth is seemingly eyeing potential new recruits ahead of the January transfer window, with the Englishman likely to be plotting ways to strengthen the Magpies’ bid for Champions League qualification.

Latest reports have suggested that the Tyneisders are keeping taps on a breakout start from the World Cup in Qatar, with the St James’ Park outfit said to be one of the clubs interested in Morocco international, Sofyan Amrabat.

According to the Daily Mail, the northeast side – as well as the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur – are one of the emerging suitors for the Fiorentina star following his displays over the past few weeks, with Eddie Howe and co reportedly prioritising a midfield addition next month.

The 26-year-old – who is the brother of former Watford man Nordin Amrabat – will likely not come cheap, however, with reports in Italy suggesting that the Serie A outfit could demand a fee of around €55m (£48m).

That being said, that price tag has seemingly been warranted such have been the former Hellas Verona man’s displays for his country of late, having played an integral role in the Atlas Lions’ remarkable surge to the semi-final stage at the World Cup – the first African nation to reach the final four in the competition’s history.

Lauded as the “best central midfielder in the tournament” by journalist Carlo Garganese, the one-time Feyenoord brute notably recorded 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in his seven outings in Qatar, having been particularly impressive in the eventual defeat to France.

That clash saw the relentless “monster”, as described by Garganese, notably catch the eye after producing a long-bursting run and a subsequent crunching challenge to deny Les Bleus’ talisman, Kylian Mbappe.

Such remarkable work ethic was a feature of his game throughout the tournament, with the “elite” gem, as dubbed by journalist Jason Lee, ranking top of the charts for recoveries made (57), as well as fifth for tackles made (ten), as per Opta Analyst.

The defensive midfielder – who was also praised as “extraordinary” by Spain boss Luis Enrique – has certainly put himself in the shop window of late, with such performances likely to have piqued the interest of Howe’s side.

Not that those displays have come as a total surprise to those who have watched the £31k-per-week man closely in Florence of late, as he has proven himself a truly classy operator in possession, ranking in the top 4% for both pass completion and progressive passes among those in his position in Europe.

That will ease any fears over Newcastle simply being blinded by just a strong major tournament display, with the race now on to see if Ashworth can secure his signature.

Aston Villa have turned a corner under Unai Emery, recording wins over Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League since he took over at the end of October.

The January transfer market is fast approaching, allowing Emery to add a few new faces to his squad as he looks to take the club into the top half of the table.

It may also be a chance for the Spaniard to move a few players on who have underperformed this season, and Ollie Watkins might be at risk due to his poor form.

The £75k-per-week hitman – who was once dubbed a “beast in training” by journalist Gregg Evans – has sorely lacked the goalscoring instinct that saw Villa splash out £28m for him back in 2020.

The 26-year-old has scored just three goals this term which considering his talents is a poor return and as a result, Emery should revive a move that Villa failed to get over the line in the summer for Jonathan David.

David was first linked with Villa before the summer transfer window opened, however, Steven Gerrard failed to bring him to England and it looks like a big mistake, especially with their goalscoring woes during the first half of the season.

If the Spaniard wishes to sign him in January, it may cost over €50m (£43m), but it would be worth it, with the 22-year-old scoring nine goals and registering three assists in just 15 games this season for LOSC Lille.

The forward would be a much better option than Watkins, and so far this term he has registered more shots on target per match (1.56 to 1.15), more shot-creating actions (44 to 31), and succeeded with more dribble attempts (38.2% to 27.8%) than the Englishman this term.

His stock might rise even further during the World Cup. Despite Canada losing their opening two matches, they haven’t played badly, more a case of being outdone by experience at the highest level.

John Herdman, the Canada manager lavished the 22-year-old with praise before the tournament while speaking to talkSPORT: “Jonathan is one of those silent assassins. He’s very clued up tactically and that’s what I really enjoy about Jonathan, he really wants to get into the details of the game and understand the pressing tactics.

“The forwards at times want to understand other elements, he knows he’s going to lead that defensive line and will get into the details of that with you.”

There is no doubt Emery will be keeping an eye on players at the World Cup ahead of January, and David has more than earned a move to the Premier League, where he will only continue to improve.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to sell Davinson Sanchez during the upcoming January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Sanchez’s season so far

This season has seen the defender make 12 appearances for the Lilywhites across all competitions, with just seven of those coming as a starter.

This suggests that he is not at the top of Antonio Conte’s pecking order in the defensive area of his team. With the January transfer window approaching, this has led to one pundit suggesting that the north London side should look to move the Colombian out of the club.

The Latest: Spurs urged to sell Sanchez

Speaking to Football Insider, Spurs expert and pundit, John Wenham, had this to say about the current squad and what changes should be made in January.

“We need to improve the defence. The players I am happy with at the moment are [Eric] Dier, [Cristian] Romero, [Clement] Lenglet, and [Ben] Davies. That is four taken already.

“You then have to look and think about who we could realistically move on and get a decent fee for as well as someone who takes up a foreign player spot.

“That’s Davinson Sanchez or Japhet Tanganga. Tanganga, the whole world apart from me thinks he must be sold but they don’t understand the basic principles of the homegrown regulations. He counts as club trained as well so if Tottenham got an offer for either, I am telling you right now they would accept the offer for Sanchez.

“He is on bigger money and he counts towards one of the foreign player spots. Where do I stand on Sanchez? It is probably time now, he has been here for a number of years, we are playing three at the back now and he hasn’t established himself as one of the starters.

“Maybe he looked better when he first joined because he was playing alongside [Jan] Vertonghen or [Toby] Alderweireld, who were world-class defenders.

“I always thought he was ok while others criticised him. But we are at the point where we need to upgrade the defence and get someone out, he is the one.”

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The Verdict: A decision for Conte

Despite not always being included in the starting XI, the 26-year-old has shown how much of a useful defensive option he can be as he currently sits in the top five for the average of tackles (1.4), interceptions (1), blocks (0.6) and clearances per game (2.4) at Spurs.

However, having been slammed for his “shocking” performances in the past by Jamie O’Hara, Sanchez’s efforts in the league this season have earned him a rather disappointing overall rating of 6.53/10 from WhoScored, leaving 11 Spurs players above him.

Taking all of this into account, it seems as though Conte may have a big decision on his hands over whether or not he decides to keep the £65k-per-week defender at the club beyond January or not.

Arsenal defender Benjamin White has staked his biggest claim yet to be in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The Gunners returned to their place atop the Premier League standings with a typically synonymous 1-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

However, the scoreline did not truly reflect the nature of the game as Mikel Arteta’s men dominated throughout the 90 minutes and were more deserving of a couple more goals, particularly as the Blues never looked like scoring.

That’s because Arsenal’s backline put in a “monstrous” display – in the words of GOAL journalist Charles Watts – against their former teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The pre-game narrative was very much centred around him but the former Gunner could only muster up eight touches during his time on the pitch.

Brazil colossus Gabriel and France hopeful William Saliba, who is trying to break his way into Didier Deschamps’ squad this month, were rock solid and the latter certainly did his chances of making the tournament the world of good.

As did White, who must now be on the Three Lions’ radar, as he’s capable of playing through the middle and at right-back, where he thwarted the likes of Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling, who are likely shoo-ins to make Southgate’s squad right now.

Indeed, the 25-year-old defender won five of his six ground duels (83%), registered four clearances – the most in the game – and put in one tackle and one block too, as per SofaScore.

But it was his attacking endeavours that caught the eye the most and will surely leave Southgate pondering, given Reece James’ likely absence and doubts over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive ability.

White – who was once lauded as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – was successful in 100% of his dribbles, whilst the £120k-per-week phenomenon also got forward to create one key chance from his 41 accurate passes. He even won his side three free-kicks and only two other players saw the ball more than him, having recorded 69 touches across the 90 minutes.

‘[He] has added to the offensive side of his game since coming out to right back and showed that side even more today. Some good work defensively when needed too. If he’s not in the World Cup squad serious questions have to be asked,” wrote football.london reporter Kaya Kayak in his post-match ratings column.

The Englishman, who cost Arsenal around £50m from Brighton and Hove Albion in July 2021, must add to his four caps in Qatar this month.

His versatility and clear improvement in both a defensive and attacking sense is surely going to be valuable to Southgate, just as much as it is to Arteta right now.

AND in other news, Edu in early Arsenal talks to sign 29-goal “monster”, he can explode at the World Cup…

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has dropped some exciting Celtic news on Bosun Lawal.

The Lowdown: First-team call up soon?

As per The Scottish Sun, the 19-year-old was called in to train with the first team in September as Ange Postecoglou’s side were trying to deal with an injury crisis.

He has not yet made a senior appearance but has been impressing for Celtic’s B team, scoring five goals and supplying a further two assists in 11 games in all competitions from the centre of defence (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Lawal impressing at Celtic

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph has shared that ‘a lot of people within the club’ are ‘very impressed’ with the progress that Lawal is making at Celtic since signing a three-year deal from Watford last summer.

The journalist said: “I’ve certainly heard a lot of good things about Bosun Lawal. I think there’s a lot of people within the club who are very impressed with the progress he’s making.”

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The Verdict: Needs a chance

After impressing so much with the B team, Lawal needs to be given a chance by Postecoglou to feature for the senior side.

The Celtic manager does have four central defenders that he can call upon in his squad, but he could still give Lawal minutes in cup competitions or to the back end of the Premiership campaign if the Hoops find themselves well enough clear at the top.

Nonetheless, having also featured 10 times for the Republic of Ireland at youth level, the 19-year-old is clearly an exciting prospect, and one that Celtic supporters will no doubt want to see more often as he progresses.

Manchester United are ‘expected’ to make a fresh push for the signature of Jude Bellingham next summer, according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic.

The lowdown

The 19-year-old left Birmingham City to join Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in 2020 in a £25m transfer. He has since established himself as a regular starter for both the Champions League club and for his country.

Bellingham, who featured in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2021/22, is reportedly valued at a whopping £131m.

The latest

Whitwell took to Twitter to rave about Bellingham’s display in England’s UEFA Nations League game against Germany on Monday night. He says that United have received ‘unanimously positive’ reports after seven years of scouting, and that should lead to an attempt to sign the teenager next summer.

He wrote: “Jude Bellingham gave another example last night of why so many clubs have chased him for so long.

“#MUFC watched him 46 times since age 12 – reports unanimously positive. United expected to try again next summer. Liverpool seen as current frontrunners.”

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The verdict

Like Whitwell says, Bellingham once again proved his worth in England’s 3-3 draw against Germany.

He earned a SofaScore rating of 7.6/10 – the highest in Gareth Southgate’s side – after winning a penalty, completing 41 out of 45 passes (91%), prevailing in eight out of 14 ground duels, drawing three fouls and making seven tackles and interceptions. It was truly a brilliant all-round display, and it led to an array of plaudits.

Andros Townsend said that it was ‘a pleasure to witness’ the ‘special talent’ produce a ‘brave’ display, while The Mirror journalist Colin Millar dubbed him ‘genuinely outstanding’ and a ‘generational talent’, and Liam Tharme of The Athletic described him as ‘absolutely phenomenal’.

Based on those rave reviews and the teenager’s obvious high ceiling, why wouldn’t United make an approach for him in 2023, particularly given their extensive long-time scouting of the youngster?

Southampton could be forced into spending big money to recruit a replacement for set-piece coach Alex Clapham, according to training ground expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Clapham’s departure from Southampton

On 1 July, Training Ground Guru reported that Ralph Hasenhuttl had appointed Clapham as the Saints’ new specialist set-piece coach. The 33-year-old had joined the Premier League side from Notts County, where he was first-team coach last season.

However, less than three months later, the same outlet revealed that Clapham had left his role at Southampton due to personal reasons.

The Latest: Dinnery’s claim

Dinnery – who sporadically features on Sky Sports – believes that it will be difficult for Southampton to find a suitable replacement for the vacant role at this stage in the season.

Speaking with Football Insider, he revealed: “It’s frustrating because big decisions on recruitment and due diligence aren’t made on the spur of the moment.

“A lot of work goes into identifying the perfect person. They need to have the right skill set but they also need to align with the manager’s thoughts.

“When someone leaves in such a short period of time, that leaves a hole. We are at the stage of the season now where you cannot just go out there and pick up a replacement to slot right in there.

“That is a problem because it’s a big expense and also because these guys are in high demand. There are cost and logistical implications.

“It’s a big job in terms of recruitment, just as it is when identifying player targets. It can go on for several months before they find the right person. So, it’s going to be a blow.”

The Verdict: Big blow

Southampton are renowned for their set-piece effectiveness – club captain James Ward-Prowse has been hailed as the best free-kick taker Pep Guardiola has ever seen, while they had the joint-fifth best record for set-piece goals in last season’s Premier League.

Therefore, Clapham’s departure could be viewed as a big blow for the Saints.

With the expenditure that’s needed to lure another top-class specialist away from another club, it could be more likely that Hasenhuttl goes without a specific coach for that role for the remainder of the season.

Therefore, Saints fans will be hoping that the 33-year-old’s exit will not come to affect Ward-Prowse’s free-kick routine, which saw him finish as Southampton’s top scorer in the Premier League last season with ten goals in 36 appearances (eight of which came from set plays).

West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh, backing reports in the last day, have shared their own update on talks to sign Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri.

The Lowdown: Irons hopes alive?

Earlier this week, reports suggested that a move for the Italy international became highly unlikely due to a difference over personal terms – even despite both Chelsea and the Hammers being close over an agreed fee.

Indeed, a transfer for Emerson looked in severe doubt at one stage with alternative targets, like Burnley ace Charlie Taylor, emerging at West Ham.

However, in a dramatic twist for supporters, it appears a move for the 28-year-old could be back on the cards with Sky journalist Dharmesh Sheth claiming negotiations are back on.

The Latest: Insider backs reports…

Now, sharing their own update, a West Ham insider has backed those claims whilst sharing what they know.

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Claret & Hugh state that the Irons have indeed reopened talks to sign Emerson and are ‘hopeful of reaching a compromise’ over personal terms – which was the main issue last time.

Talks are apparently ongoing with the player’s camp, as well as with Chelsea over the fee, with Moyes making a left-back signing the current priority.

The Verdict: Get it done…

When given the opportunity, Emerson can be a really useful player, as explained by Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.

The German raved over his defender’s ‘unbelievable’ qualities last year with the full-back arguably finding life difficult at Stamford Bridge due to the competition for places.

Both Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell fill the left-back slot in west London and perhaps joining West Ham would grant Emerson a new lease of life.

Crystal Palace fans’ worst fears could come to fruition if this journalist’s claims are true…

 What’s the word?

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Wilfried Zaha could be tempted to join Premier League giants Chelsea, who have shown an interest.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Chelsea tried to sign him under the previous ownership and Zaha would welcome a move like this.

“I think it would be exciting to see Sterling and him in the same attack, and I think there are ways Tuchel could get that to open up.”

Vieira would be gutted

Zaha has been a cult hero at Selhurst Park, ever since his youthful heroics helped them return to the Premier League back in 2013. Even after his switch to Manchester United and subsequent return, there has been no love lost.

He is their talisman and has seen potential moves to far bigger clubs beaten away in order to stay and keep Palace in the division.

It will therefore be particularly heart-breaking for Patrick Vieira should the Ivory Coast international choose to leave, as he just seems to be building a team with real promise.

Zaha was comfortably their top scorer again in all competitions last season, bagging 15 times. The closest, with eight, was the departing Conor Gallagher.

If Palace were to lose both of their top scorers, perhaps the bleak prediction of relegation that they faced last summer would quickly become a reality, unless the young talent that Vieira has acquired can make the step up.

Not only would they lose the £130k-per-week magician’s current goals, but the loss of one of the club’s greatest ever players will surely have a hugely detrimental effect on the squad too. He is their top scorer in Premier League history, and this holds massive weight.

Also, his average SofaScore rating of 6.98 marked him out as the Eagles’ third-best performer last season, further outlining how big a miss he would be.

Not only would losing their main man be a huge blow but to a London rival would add insult to injury.

Vieira should be gutted at the prospect and will likely be begging the hierarchy at his club to do all they can to prevent it.

AND, in other news: Vieira could form a “wonderful” CPFC duo with late swoop for “electric” £112k-p/w star.

Journalist Ashley Preece has shared his insight regarding Aston Villa’s reported interest in RB Leipzig midfielder, Konrad Laimer…

What’s the word?

In a Q and A for Birmingham Live, the Villa correspondent revealed that the Austria international looks to be on his way to Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich, this summer, with it seemingly unlikely that the 24-year-old will be linking up with Steven Gerrard and co.

Asked about possible links to the 24-cap gem, the transfer insider stated: “As for Laimer, the latest I heard was that Bayern had agreed a deal. Be tough for Villa to come over the top but we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve got nothing concrete on that.”

This follows reports that the Midlands side were set to make a £17m bid for the Salzburg-born machine, with sporting director Johan Lange said to be on the hunt for a new midfield addition.

Gerrard gutted

Despite having already brought in young Boubacar Kamara from Marseille on a free transfer, it would appear that the Villa Park outfit are keen to bolster their midfield ranks even further, with a quality acquisition needed in order to provide further competition.

In Laimer, the club had seemingly identified an ideal fit who could add instant quality to Gerrard’s ranks, although the 42-year-old is now set to have to look elsewhere as the £25.2m-rated machine ebbs closer to a move to the Allianz Arena.

Missing out on the £49k-per-week ace will serve as something of a body blow such is his overwhelming talent, with the 5 foot 11 menace offering invaluable versatility with his ability to feature both in the centre of the pitch and on the flanks, with such flexibility a rare commodity.

The former Red Bull Salzburg man is arguably one of the most all-round assets in Europe, ranking in the top 12% for progressive carries, the top 14% for dribbles completed and the top 13% for touches in the attacking penalty area, as per FBref, as well as in the top 1% for pressures made and the top 17% for tackles made.

That impressive record in both offensive and defensive metrics illustrates just what a talent the relentless midfielder is, while the most recent Bundesliga campaign also saw him chip in with four goals and four assists in 26 league games.

Compared to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante by some, Laimer is seemingly a player who is only set to blossom even further in the coming years, with it perhaps unsurprising that Julian Nagelsmann’s side have come knocking to prise him from his current club.

Trying to compete with the German champions for his signature may be futile for the Villans, with Gerrard likely to have watched what could have been a major addition slip away.

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez