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Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of sealing a move for Lautaro Martinez this month seem rather slim after a major update emerged that won’t please many Spurs supporters…

What’s the word?

Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting that the North London outfit had agreed a £60m fee for the Inter Milan striker, with Spurs targeting him as a potential partner for Harry Kane, rather than a replacement.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, this was before they sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, so it seems unlikely that they would offload both of their first-choice forwards in the same window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (as relayed by Football Daily), the renowned Italian transfer expert said:

“The interest is genuine because it’s true that Tottenham want Lautaro Martinez. They’ve been in talks with his agent, with Inter about Lautaro Martinez, so it’s true that there is a strong interest from Tottenham but it’s something that they wanted to do before Inter sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea.

“It was about last week, that’s why the situation now is not easy.

“Inter state that they want to keep Lautaro Martinez at the club. They are convinced that Lautaro will be staying because they sold Lukaku, and they sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, so they don’t need money right now. And that’s why I think that this deal with Tottenham will be complicated.”

Bad news

This development will come as a blow to many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nuno Santo is thought to be eager to deploy a two-man attack system, in which another frontman is needed to partner Kane. But they have missed out on Danny Ings, who has joined Aston Villa, and now appear to have been ruled out of the Martinez race.

It means that the Portuguese cannot play the formation he desires just yet as the England international is his only senior striker – and he’s only just returned from holiday.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Furthermore, Romano’s claim is sure to upset much of the Lilywhites faithful who were desperate to see the Argentina talisman join this month.

When The Times’ Gary Jacob first revealed their interest over the weekend, many supporters erupted at the news – some pondered whether it was a dream, whilst others lauded sporting director Fabio Paratici.

“Would love this to be true,” said one fan, whilst another added: “If this is true Paratici needs a statue built outside the stadium,” as relayed by This is Futbol.

Martinez provided 19 goals and 11 assists as the Italian giants ended their decade-long Serie A hoodoo last season, so it’s no wonder there were plenty of Spurs supporters keen to see him signed.

They’ll now be fuming at this latest claim as it looks like their club acted too late.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kane: £40.5m-rated “nightmare” is “on Tottenham’s radar”, Nuno would love him…

Crystal Palace are keen on signing Liverpool forward Divock Origi before the transfer window closes, according to reports.

What’s the story?

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claims that the Eagles are one of three Premier League teams eager to secure the 26-year-old’s signature this summer, with Wolves and West Ham United also credited with an interest.

Previous reports have stated the Reds are set to demand between £15m and £20m for Origi and are open to letting the Belgium international depart Anfield after he struggled to make an impact last season.

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing

Origi arrived at Anfield back in 2015 from Ligue 1 outfit Lille but has failed to establish himself in the Merseyside outfit’s starting XI during his six-year stay on English shores.

A relatively successful loan spell at Wolfsburg throughout 2017/18 saw the pacey hitman bag seven goals and provide three assists during his 12-month stay, showing enough potential for Klopp to reintroduce him into his first team plans.

And Origi wrote his name into Liverpool folklore upon his return to Anfield. A brace in their sensational 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals earned him hero status, despite his limited time on the pitch.

He then wrapped up the club’s sixth European title with another goal in the final against Tottenham Hotspur, ensuring he’ll remain a fans favourite for many years to come.

However, Origi has struggled to replicate those heroics ever since. Over the last couple of campaigns, the former Lille ace has started just nine Premier League games, bagging only four goals during that time period.

It’s hard to argue that his performances have warranted extra game time, with the 6ft forward recording a miserly WhoScored rating of just 6.19 last season.

Nevertheless, his potential arrival at Selhurst Park will surely have a large section of the Palace supporters buzzing.

Although Origi may not have the quality to succeed at Liverpool, he’s still proven himself to be a reliable source of goals – especially in the biggest of games – throughout his career, a quality that the capital club are desperately short of.

The south London outfit only had one shot on target in their opening day encounter against Chelsea over the weekend, an issue Origi’s arrival would surely help to address.

And, in other news…Lost 15 duels: Shocking Crystal Palace lightweight badly let Vieira down vs Chelsea 

According to The Scottish Sun, Nikola Katic has been told that he has no future at Glasgow Rangers, with the club looking to sell him before the end of the transfer window.

The Lowdown: Katic endures torrid time

The Croatia international endured a torrid time in 2020/21. After picking up a serious injury in pre-season, he didn’t feature in a single match for the entire campaign (Transfermarkt).

He has worked hard to return to the fold, but he is yet to make a single first team appearance this term despite being fit to feature.

The Latest: Gers career over

As per The Scottish Sun, it appears that his time at Ibrox could soon be coming to an end.

He has reportedly been told that his Gers career is over, and the 55-time Scottish champions will therefore look to sell him before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

The Verdict: Decision to be made

This comes as surprising news. While the Gers were mightily impressive without the 24-year-old as part of their squad last season, Gerrard is a big fan of Katic, previously calling him a “mountain” and saying that he “absolutely love[s]” the central defender (The Athletic). Would the manager be all that willing to let the Croatian leave without giving him a chance this season?

However, Gerrard and the Ibrox hierarchy do have a decision to make. As it stands, the 41-year-old has five central defenders at his disposal in Leon Balogun, Filip Helander, Connor Goldson, Jack Simpson and Katic. With the Gers generally deploying a four-man backline, they surely have at least one option too many, and £1.44m-valued Katic (Transfermarkt) may well be the one to miss out judging by the current exit talk.

In other news, an update has been provided on the future of Alfredo Morelos.

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has dropped an injury update on Matt Clarke.

What’s the latest?

Speaking after Albion’s win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, the Frenchman revealed that he and his medical team will be assessing the extent of the centre-back’s hamstring injury, which the 24-year-old picked up when chasing a loose ball shortly before half-time in the fixture, in order to determine when the Brighton & Hove Albion loanee will return to action.

As cited by Birmingham Live, the 45-year-old said: “The only negative is the injury to Matty Clarke. I don’t know what’s going on, we need to assess him. We’ll see how bad the injury is.

“Yes, it’s really sad, but I hope it’s not too bad. The good thing is that we have the international break next week, so hopefully we get him back after the international break. This is my expectation, this is my hope.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering how impressive Clarke has been following his move to The Hawthorns earlier this summer, West Brom fans may be gutted to hear that the defender looks set to miss the Baggies’ Carabao Cup clash against Arsenal on Wednesday, as well as the Championship fixture with Peterborough United on Saturday.

Indeed, over his three league appearances for Albion thus far, the £2.7m-rated man has averaged 2.3 interceptions, one tackle and 2.7 clearances and has won a whopping 7.3 duels per game, with these returns earning the centre-back an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

Although the Carabao Cup is not likely to be a priority for Albion in a season in which they are chasing automatic promotion, and a trip to Peterborough unlikely to be the most difficult fixture of their Championship campaign, the absence of the £21k-per-week Clarke will still be felt by Ismael. The manager will certainly be hoping that the player who Brighton boss Graham Potter dubbed a “quality” talent will be ready for action shortly after the upcoming international break.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops seven-word transfer hint which will leave West Brom fans gutted

Leeds United are eyeing a late transfer window swoop for Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been been watching the 21-year-old ahead of a potential move this summer, although they are set to face intense competition to try and land him.

And writing recently on Twitter, The Athletic’s Phil Hay said: “They like Lang and that’s a genuine link but they haven’t actually made a concrete move for him.”

Now, Sport/Voetbalmagazine (via Sport Witness) claim that Leeds remain interested in signing Lang before deadline day, but that Brugge are looking for a massive bid to let him leave.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Lang showed Jadon Sancho-like abilities in his loan spell at Brugge last season, bagging 17 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games, including netting in the Champions League.

With that impressive goal-scoring record, and the fact he still remains very young at just 21, a move for Lang would be extremely exciting not just for Bielsa but for the club’s fans too.

Dubbed a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt, the winger made history when he became the first player in 60 years to mark his debut with a hat-trick for Ajax, while his teammate at Brugge, Cyriel Dessers, has even admitted that Leeds’ interest in the flier is not the least bit surprising.

He said: “He is absolutely ready for the Premier League. He was fantastic last season. Then it is logical that there is a next step.  I would love to see him in the Champions League with Club Brugge, but he has shown that he is one of the best footballers in Belgium.

“He is a graceful footballer, but he also works very hard. I often sat on the bench, so I could keep an eye on him there. But the way he works, I didn’t know he had that in him. He has really taken a step. The interest does not come out of nowhere. I know how Leeds work.”

If the Whites can pull off a late transfer window deal for Lang, then Bielsa will surely be buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this Premier League record breaker…

Crystal Palace are reportedly pushing to bring in Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah as Patrick Vieira eyes striking reinforcements, according to Sky Sports.

Playing his part last term, the 22-year-old managed to notch seven goal contributions in 29 appearances for the Gunners with six goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

In the last moments of the transfer window, he could now be set to swap north London for SE25 as the Eagles eye further attacking depth.

Crystal Palace are keen on the striker and have been embroiled in discussions over a fee, although no such breakthrough has come to light as of yet due to disparities in the clubs’ respective valuations of Nketiah [Sky Sports]. An unnamed German club are also mooted to be in the hunt for his services.

In light of this news, plenty of Crystal Palace diehards took to Twitter to discuss the links with the Arsenal marksman.

Crystal Palace fans react

Replying to multiple outlets on Twitter, here is what some Palace fans had to say about the “interesting” possibility of the Eagles signing Nketiah:

“Please get it done”

Credit: @joelcpfc_

“If I had to bet on which striker we’d end up with, I think it would be him…”

Credit: @e_crystalpalace

“I have a feeling a double swoop for him (buy) and Reiss Nelson (loan)”

Credit: @creasep

“Really impressed with him in Arsenal’s pre-season, he’s improving a lot and I think he could do really well given game time”

Credit: @CpfcDan_

“he’s suit the system better too, Benteke can be a super sub lol”

Credit: @cpfcbeast

“Interesting”

Credit: @JacobCPFC_

In other news, Crystal Palace have been linked with another striker. Find out more here.

According to a report by 90min, Jesse Lingard made it clear to Manchester United that he didn’t want to return to West Ham United amid a prospective late push by the Irons to sign him this summer. 

The Lowdown: Hammers return never materialised 

Lingard spent the second half of last season on loan with David Moyes’ side, notching nine goals in 16 games to help the club qualify for Europe for the first time since 2016. 

It was rumoured throughout the summer that Lingard would be brought to the London Stadium again – either on a permanent deal or a loan – but it never materialised and West Ham spent their money elsewhere on Kurt Zouma and Nikola Vlasic. 

The 28-year-old has only appeared for four minutes for Manchester United this season, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes ahead of him in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.  

The Latest: Lingard to fight for Manchester United place 

The report by 90min states that Lingard ‘communicated to joint chairman David Sullivan personally’ that his preference was to remain with Manchester United rather than try his luck with West Ham again. 

His inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their triple header over the international break against Hungary, Andorra and Poland gives him a chance to show his worth to Solskjaer ahead of the next four months before the winter transfer window, with an inside source claiming that Lingard will reassess his situation then. 

Solskjaer has confirmed that the midfielder will be used and could play an important role for the Red Devils, but with less than 12 months on his contract at Old Trafford, the player’s options will remain open in January. 

The Verdict: Let’s hope Lingard doesn’t regret it

Lingard is Manchester United through and through. He is best friends with one of the Red Devils’ key players in Marcus Rashford and was one of their most influential players only a few years ago, being labelled as ‘unique’ by the club’s current coach Michael Carrick in 2018.

He would have been disappointed with missing out on the European Championship in the summer and maybe a move to West Ham would have put him in good stead to make England’s World Cup squad in 2022.

For now, though, the playmaker must take his chance when it comes to him at Old Trafford and hope that his decision to reject the Hammers is the right one in the long run. 

In other news, West Ham remain keen for ‘extraordinary’ player after missing out on him in the summer transfer window, find out more here.

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side could be handed yet more transfer sanctions by the EFL.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon’s report for The Sun, in which the journalist revealed that Derby could be handed a two-year transfer ban by the EFL – if the Rams do not settle their outstanding transfer debts.

Nixon continued by stating that these reported unpaid transfer fees are now late for a second time, with the governing body giving Mel Morris until the end of September in a final chance for the owner to settle the debts, or else the Championship club could be restricted from signing players until the summer of 2023.

Fans will be fuming

With Rooney already having to operate under strict EFL transfer guidelines this summer, with the 35-year-old having brought in five free agents on restricted wages, the news that the former England captain may now not be able to bring in any further new signings over the next two years is sure to have left fans of the club fuming.

Indeed, while the Rams boss has done an impressive job so far this season considering the testing off-field circumstances – with Derby picking up six points over their opening five fixtures of the Championship campaign, suffering defeat just once – should the club indeed be forbidden from bringing any fresh faces in over the next two seasons, the chances of Rooney’s side remaining in the second tier of English football by the end of the potential transfer ban would appear to be slim to none.

As such, the 35-year-old manager and fans of the club alike will undoubtedly be hoping that Morris can resolve the situation prior to the EFL’s deadline, or else the owner could well be consigning the club to relegation to the third tier come the end of the season.

In other news: £180k-rated Derby County flop who lost possession 22x let Rooney down badly vs Blades

One of Jose Mourinho’s biggest problems continues to linger at Tottenham Hotspur under new manager Nuno Santo.

Their 100% start to the 2021/22 campaign was halted by Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon as the ten men of Spurs were well-beaten 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

The north London outfit had been sitting pretty atop the Premier League table heading into kick-off, having won all three of their opening three matches by a 1-0 scoreline.

A recurring theme was bubbling beneath the surface during their short run of success under the Portuguese and it was fully exposed at the weekend.

Spurs are still suffering from the very same issue that Mourinho had – there’s a clear lack of creativity in attacking midfield.

Last season, the ex-boss relied heavily on Heung-min Son and Harry Kane’s exploits, with the pair scoring 58.8% of their 68 league goals scored. They were also the only two to surpass four assists and average 1.4 or more key passes per game in the whole campaign, via WhoScored.

In fact, no player that managed to create more than 0.8 key chances each match still remains at the club, with Gareth Bale back at Real Madrid and Serge Aurier without a team.

That’s where the problem lies.

Mourinho’s attacking midfield options struggled to create much at all – Giovani Lo Celso (0.8 key passes per game), Dele Alli (0.6), Tanguy Ndombele (0.4).

Two of those three were big-money signings yet neither have really set the ground alight since joining in the summer of 2019.

The club-record Frenchman has only delivered eight goals and eight assists in 75 appearances, managing a direct contribution every 267 minutes and the Copa America winner has performed worse, averaging a goal or assist every 353 minutes – once every four games.

That’s just not good enough considering both were earmarked with Christian Eriksen’s exit in mind, given he was entering the final year of his deal at the time.

The Danish playmaker provided 69 goals and 90 assists in 305 appearances, meaning he contributed once every 151 minutes – a stark, stark contrast to the numbers above.

As evident on Saturday, this is still very much a problem that lingers. Against Palace, Spurs only managed two shots at goal in 90 minutes – it’s no wonder they only won by the solitary goal in their three previous games.

Speaking after the match, Nuno described his creative issues as a “big concern.” He told reporters, via the Evening Standard:

“It is a big concern, we had enough quality and talent to play better. We didn’t do it, credit to Palace they were aggressive and they didn’t allow too much time on the ball. We lost duels, many, many situations that I think we should do much better. In terms of offensive, much improvement is required.”

There are some important games coming up for Spurs, including their group stage opener in the UEFA Europa Conference League – a competition they are favourites to win – so Nuno will need to find a solution sooner rather than later.

Clearly, it’s an issue that has lingered for quite some time as the Portuguese remains haunted by the same problems as the previous regime.

AND in other news, £75k-p/w dud must never play for Spurs again, had fewer touches than Lloris yesterday…

Crystal Palace have suffered an injury setback ahead of their Premier League encounter with Liverpool this afternoon after Jeffrey Schlupp was ruled out of action.

What’s the word?

The versatile 28-year-old picked up an injury while on international duty with Ghana and was also unavailable for Palace’s impressive victory over Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Schlupp had played a part in all of the Eagles’ fixtures up until his enforced absence, and manager Patrick Vieira confirmed that he’ll be sidelined once again for today’s trip to Anfield.

“Jeffrey Schlupp is getting better but is not going to be involved tomorrow,” the Frenchman revealed in Friday’s press conference.

“He didn’t have enough training with the squad, so will stay behind and do a session tomorrow, before getting with the team on Monday morning.”

However, Vieira did have some positive updates for the Palace faithful. Youngster Eberechi Eze is currently on the treatment table with an Achilles injury, although he’s making good progress in his recovery.

The manager stated: “He’s improving, he’s going to start working outside very soon. Him and Nathan (Ferguson) are getting better.

“We can’t put any date (on his return to action). The positive side is he is getting better, and that is positive, but we can’t put any date because we don’t want to push him.

“There’s a medical journey that we have to take into consideration, and then we’ll know the next step with him. The same for Nathan.”

Patrick Vieira will be gutted

Despite Palace securing a famous three points over Spurs in Schlupp’s absence, Vieira will still be gutted that he is unable to call upon the Ghanaian’s services against Liverpool.

The midfielder adds energy and an attacking flair to the Eagles’ engine room, assets which the likes of James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate can’t replicate. Indeed, only four of Schlupp’s team-mates have completed more dribbles per game this season.

Considering that the Reds have started the 2021/22 term in impressive fashion, Vieira will not be at all amused that he will be forced to make do without a seasoned campaigner in the 28-year-old.

In other news… Signed for £26m, released for free: Parish endured a Palace nightmare over 31y/o dud