Manchester City star Kyle Walker has reportedly made a decision on his future at AC Milan after his loan deal ends.
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Manchester United are now interested in signing a 24-year-old rival who has managed to impress club scouts, according to reliable journalist Alan Nixon.
There is a good chance that Marcus Rashford is not a Man United player for much longer, having been left out of three match-day squads by Ruben Amorim, with the club making the decision to sanction a loan move in the January transfer window.
Of course, it is always a shame when a homegrown player has to move on, but it could be the best move for all parties, given that he has failed to reach his previous heights this season, scoring just four Premier League goals.
Speaking ahead of the game against AFC Bournemouth, Neville described Rashford’s departure as “inevitable”:
Barcelona are among the interested parties, having reportedly submitted a £35m bid already, and he is believed to be keen on the move, which would initially be a loan before becoming a permanent transfer in the summer.
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Manchester United’s upcoming Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) |
December 26th |
|
Newcastle United (h) |
December 30th |
|
Liverpool (a) |
January 5th |
|
Southampton (h) |
January 16th |
|
Brighton (h) |
January 19th |
Rashford could well be out the door this January, alongside Altay Bayindir, who will be allowed to leave if a suitable offer is received, meaning Amorim may be tasked with finding a replacement goalkeeper.
According to the reliable Nixon, that replacement could well be Illan Meslier from rivals Leeds United, as the Red Devils have now revived their interest in the goalkeeper.
Amorim is keen to get another goalkeeper through the door to push Andre Onana for a starting spot, and goalkeeper scout Tony Coton is a fan of Meslier, viewing him as one for the future.
Bayindir’s poor performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the 4-3 EFL Cup defeat underlined the need to sign a new goalkeeper, meaning he could be replaced by the Leeds shot-stopper.
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He would be a signing for the long term at Old Trafford.
1
By
Ben Browning
Nov 30, 2024
Although the Frenchman has been the first-choice keeper for United’s rivals this season, starting every game, there are some serious doubts over his ability.
The 24-year-old made a bizarre mistake to cost Leeds two points against Sunderland earlier this season, and he has become known for making some serious howlers:
Earlier in his Leeds career, the 6 foot 5 colossus was even branded as a “liability” by the media, so it is a little strange that he is being linked with a move to Old Trafford.
That said, Meslier is clearly doing something right if he is starting every game for a promotion-chasing Championship side, and he could be a better back-up option than Bayindir.
The Turk was one of the worst players on the pitch in the trip to Spurs, as per SofaScore, so it is probably a wise decision to let him leave, although it will be interesting to see whether there are many suitors, given that his performances have been so poor.
German newspaper BILD criticized Bayern Munich’s handling of Thomas Muller, who is approaching the end of his contract and ceases to be a starter.
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Sarina Wiegman says the prospect of the United Kingdom hosting the 2035 World Cup is "so exciting" and hopes it can boost the women's game.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is personally considering whether to pursue an ex-Man City defender in January after being told that the player could be available for a reasonable fee in the winter.
Postecoglou faces the very distinct possibility of being without all of his first-team centre-backs as things stand, with Radu Dragusin sustaining ankle damage in their last outing against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
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Emilio Galantini
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Depending on a late fitness test before their clash with Wolves on Sunday, the 59-year-old may not have Dragusin to call upon, with injuries to Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies leaving Postecoglou bereft of natural centre-halves.
The emergence of Archie Gray as a makeshift option in that position has seriously helped to plug the necessary gaps, but it is currently unclear as to how Postecoglou plans to cope without the Englishman’s partner if Dragusin is indeed out for an extended period.
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Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers (home) |
December 29 |
|
Newcastle United (home) |
January 4 |
|
Arsenal (away) |
January 15 |
|
Everton (away) |
January 19 |
|
Leicester City (home) |
January 26 |
Naturally, with the January transfer window set to open in a matter of days, Tottenham have been linked with a host of new centre-backs.
RC Lens starlet Abdukodir Khusanov is reliably believed to be a Spurs transfer target heading into the new year, while other reports have linked Leeds United star Pascal Struijk, Feyenoord stalwart David Hancko, PSG’s Milan Skriniar, Getafe’s Omar Alderete and Inter sensation Yann Bisseck as other centre-backs who could join Tottenham in January.
By his own admission, Postecoglou has held numerous recruitment meetings with technical director Johan Lange in the build-up to next month, and the Australian says they’re “working hard” on reinforcing their options.
“There’s certainly a need to reinforce if we can,” said Postecoglou on January signings at Tottenham.
“Everyone knows January’s not an easy time to do that. But the club’s working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we’ve got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.”
According to GiveMeSport, Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Ko Itakura is a mid-season option for Spurs.
The Japan international’s contract expires in 18 months, which could hand them an opportunity to agree a move for a doable price, and Postecoglou is informed of this situation.
GMS writes that Postecoglou has been made aware that Tottenham could strike a “cut-price” January deal for Itakura, and the former Celtic boss is personally contemplating whether to reignite a pursuit for the Bundesliga centre-back after previously holding an interest.
The 27-year-old was on Man City’s books before the Sky Blues sold him to Monchengladbach in the summer of 2022, where he has gone on to become a pivotal figurehead at the heart of their backline.
Itakura has started all of their German top-flight games this season, helping Mönchengladbach to boast one of the finest defensive records in the division.
West Ham United are now keen on signing a “clinical” £40 million Premier League midfielder this month, according to a new report.
Julen Lopetegui could soon get the sack at the London Stadium after defeat to Manchester City reopened the question marks around his long-term future at the club. Graham Potter’s name is once again back in the frame for the Hammers, and the former Chelsea boss may well seal a move to replace the Spaniard.
West Ham now make contact over move to sign "fantastic" £60m striker
Julen Lopetegui is keen to strengthen his strike force this winter.
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Dominic Lund
Jan 3, 2025
Ahead of the game against City, Lopetegui revealed that West Ham are “working” on potential arrivals behind the scenes. Lopetegui said: “It is true that we have these two important losses [Bowen and Antonio]. The club knows our needs and are working about [on] that.”
One player the Hammers were interested in signing was Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney, but that appears to be a non-starter, as the defender looks set to re-join his old side Celtic. West Ham are said to have made an approach to sign Tierney, but he has snubbed the interest in favour of rejoining the Scottish champions.
A new forward could be on the radar for the Premier League side, as they are targeting a move for Real Sociedad star Brias Mendez. Lopetegui knows the player, having come up against him in La Liga, and he could be an option for the Hammers this month, as they look to strengthen their forward line.
Signing a new defender and forward are not the only positions the Hammers are looking to strengthen, as according to TBR Football, West Ham are interested in signing Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea in this transfer window.
Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea in 2022, but his time with the Blues has been far from successful. The midfielder has struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI, and under Enzo Maresca, he has hardly featured. The 21-year-old has played five times this season, four of which have come in the UEFA Conference League and one in the EFL Cup. Not only has he not played in the league, but he has yet to make a matchday squad.
TBR Football now reports that Chelsea are prepared to let Chukwuemeka leave this month, ideally with a permanent sale, with them looking to get around £40 million for the player. There are several players that the Blues want to move on in this month, and Chukwuemeka is one of those who has interest from West Ham and his former club Aston Villa.
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Carney Chukwuemeka’s Premier League record |
|
|---|---|
|
Apps |
37 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
The Hammers want to sign a new midfielder, but the chances of them paying £40 million this month is said to be unrealistic. Chukwuemeka, who scored at the London Stadium against the Hammers last season, is very highly rated by former Chelsea man Marcel Desailly, as he labels the midfielder as “clinical.”
Desailly said of Chukwuemeka: “I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage. He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do, and he is clinical. I love it.”
The American scored his second overall goal for Palace and his first of this campaign
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Tottenham Hotspur announced the hiring of Ange Postecoglou just over a year and a half ago, and since then, a lot has changed.
The North Londoners have gone from playing mind-numbingly boring football to being one of the most entertaining teams in Europe and, perhaps just as significant, sold the legendary Harry Kane.
However, while there have been some notable exits since the Australian took charge, there have also been some big signings as well, such as Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison.
The latter of those three has endured a mixed time in the capital thus far, and while he’s capable of producing some moments of magic, it might be worth looking for a rival, or even upgrade, and fortunately, the club have already been linked to just the player.
Spurs signed Maddison from a recently relegated Leicester City in the summer of 2023 for about £40m, and while he was part of a team that went down, it certainly wasn’t on him.
In that final campaign with the Foxes, he managed to rack up an impressive tally of ten goals and nine assists in 32 appearances, so his move to N17 was more than justified.
In fact, the Coventry-born maestro hit the ground running in North London and racked up three goals and five assists in his first ten league games for the team, playing a significant role in Postecoglou’s sensational start to life in England.
However, in the 11th game against Chelsea, he picked up an injury that saw him sidelined until late January, and when he came back, he was significantly less effective.
For example, in his final 17 league appearances, the 28-year-old scored a single goal and provided just four assists, which also played a role in the team’s slide down the table.
This season has been mixed for the Englishman, as while he has been sublime at moments and has a healthy tally of eight goals and five assists, he’s found himself out of the team on more than a handful of occasions, suggesting that his place in the squad is less than assured.
So, if the former Leicester City star cannot be relied upon to regularly produce and has found himself out of the starting lineup several times already this season, it might make sense for Spurs to look for an upgrade in the market and the good news on that front, is that they have already been linked with one in the last month or so.
To get straight to the point, the player in question is AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders, who was linked with a potential £50m move to Spurs last month, and while that sounds like a lot of money, it would be money well spent.
For example, despite playing slightly deeper than Maddison at the moment, the Dutch international’s output has been almost as good this season.
He has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 25 games, and were he moved slightly further up the pitch, we wouldn’t be surprised to see those numbers get even better.
However, to understand why analyst Ben Mattinson described the 26-year-old as one of the “top five midfielders this season”, we need to look at his underlying numbers.
According to FBref, which compares players across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the Milan star sits in the top 1% of midfielders for carries into the final third and passes blocked, the top 3% for successful take-ons, the top 4% for non-penalty goals and shots on target, the top 5% for carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.
|
Reijnders’ FBref Scout Repot |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
Per 90 |
Percentile |
|
Passes Blocked |
0.29 |
Top 1% |
|
Carries into Final Third |
2.99 |
Top 1% |
|
Progressive Carries |
2.91 |
Top 3% |
|
Successful Take-Ons |
0.34 |
Top 3% |
|
Non-Penalty Goals |
0.26 |
Top 4% |
|
Shots on Target |
0.74 |
Top 4% |
|
Goals |
0.26 |
Top 5% |
|
Carries into Penalty Area |
0.58 |
Top 5% |
|
Pass Completion % |
90.5% |
Top 6% |
|
All Stats via FBref |
||
Furthermore, it’s not just at the club level that the “world-class” midfielder, dubbed by commentator Matteo Bonetti, is thriving, as he’s now won 20 caps for the Netherlands and made it to the semi-finals of the European Championships before going out at the hands of England.
Ultimately, Maddison is an incredibly talented footballer, but he tailed off towards the end of last season, and this year, he seems unable to hold down a place in the team.
Therefore, it makes sense to sign an upgrade this year, and while he will cost a pretty penny, Reijnders seems like a brilliant option.
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The experienced midfielder would be an excellent addition for Spurs.
1
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Jan 10, 2025
Cole Palmer has been accused of 'having a dig' at Enzo Maresca in an Instagram post as Chelsea's on-field struggles continue.
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Arne Slot's side ran riot at Anfield to wrap up the club's 20th English championship on a memorable day by the Mersey
Liverpool blew Tottenham away with a 5-1 win on Sunday to secure the 2024-25 Premier League title in style.
The buoyant Anfield atmosphere was popped in sloppy fashion from the hosts' perspective as Spurs grabbed a shock lead when no Liverpool player took charge from a corner and Dominic Solanke leapt highest to head beyond Alisson Becker for his first Premier League goal since January.
However, the visitors' joy was short-lived as the Reds responded. Mohamed Salah played in Dominik Szoboszlai to square for Luis Diaz to tap in, though the offside flag initially went up. To the joy of the home crowd, a VAR check proved Szoboszlai had not strayed too far and the goal was given.
Things got even better midway through the first half as Spurs freely gave up possession and the ball eventually ended up at the feet of Alexis Mac Allister, whose rocket from the edge of the area flew past Guglielmo Vicario to prompt pandemonium in the stands.
Tottenham have made headlines for all the wrong reasons this season and simply could not stop a rampant Liverpool from going 3-1 ahead as Ange Postecoglou watched his side fail to clear a corner and Cody Gakpo was able to evade a few challenges and whip a strike into the far corner.
Liverpool wanted a penalty around the hour mark for handball but quickly extended their advantage regardless when a lightning-fast counter-attack ended with Szoboszlai feeding Salah, who made no mistake in driving his shot into the bottom corner.
Spurs' inability to defend with any assertiveness was further exposed by Liverpool when they bagged a fifth. After a couple of blocked shots, the ball eventually reached Trent Alexander-Arnold whose prod across goal was turned into his own net by Destiny Udogie.
Jubilation broke out when the full-time whistle was blown, with the Premier League title mathematically secured for the Reds.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…