Tag Futebol

Manchester City look set to complete the signing of Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield this week, and the Argentine could prove to be the ideal heir to Rodri in Pep Guardiola’s side.

Recent reports have suggested that the Citizens have won the race to sign the exciting 19-year-old, beating Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Wolves to one of Argentina’s top young talents.

The midfielder will move to Manchester on a £6.5m deal which could be confirmed in the next few days, although he will only join once the South America Under-20 Championship has been completed.

Perrone only made his professional debut last March but he has made a big impression since then, contributing three goals and two assists in 33 appearances for Velez Sarsfield, playing predominantly as a defensive midfielder.

According to FBref, the young midfielder excels at tackling, assisting and blocking, ranking in the 96th, 91st and 86th percentile for each of these statistics among positional peers in the ‘Men’s Next 8 Competitions’, all of which make him an ideal candidate to feature at defensive midfield in a Guardiola team.

Although Rodri is still relatively young and could easily play in City’s first team for another decade, Perrone could be a natural heir for the 26-year-old at the Etihad Stadium, given that no player in Guardiola’s squad has averaged more tackles per game in the Premier League so far this term.

Since joining City in 2019, the former Atletico Madrid man has established himself as one of the best in the world in his position, making 176 appearances for his current employers, in which he has contributed 14 goals and 13 assists.

Many touted the Spaniard as a natural heir to Fernandinho, and Perrone could follow in his footsteps by playing alongside Rodri at the Etihad before potentially replacing him in the future.

Gabriel Heinze, the teenager’s boss at Velez Sarsfield, spotted his potential when he was just 17, dubbing him a “spectacular” talent; and under Guardiola’s coaching, there seems no reason why Perrone can’t live up to his obvious potential at Manchester City and potentially emulate Rodri in years to come.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Matheus Cunha to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Evening Standard, who claim that, despite Wolves having been heavily linked with a move for the Atletico Madrid centre-forward in recent weeks, the LaLiga side have now offered Chelsea the opportunity to sign the 23-year-old this winter following the loss of Armando Broja to a serious knee injury.

This is sure to have come as a huge blow to Julen Lopetegui, with The Athletic reporting earlier this month that the Old Gold were initially leading the race to sign the 23-year-old this winter – something that would now appear to be in considerable doubt following the potential interest of the Blues.

Bad news for Wolves

Considering just how talented a forward Cunha undoubtedly is, coupled with the fact that Wolves are currently the Premier League side who have scored the least goals this season, the news that Chelsea now look to have entered the race for the striker’s signature this winter is certainly bad news for Lopetegui and his side.

Indeed, despite an underwhelming spell at Atleti – scoring seven goals and providing eight assists over his 54 fixtures for the LaLiga side – the £26m-rated talent proved in his first campaign with Hertha BSC back in 2019/20 just how deadly he can be in the final third, scoring five goals and registering a further two assists over his 11 Bundesliga appearances that season.

The £49k-per-week forward once again caught the eye over his 27 league outings the following season, bagging seven goals, providing five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.3 shots – 1.3 of which hit the target – making 1.8 key passes and completing 3.0 dribbles – the joint second-most in the division – per game.

These returns saw the player who Bruno Labbadia dubbed “special” average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Hertha’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 26th-best player in the Bundesliga as a whole in 2020/21.

As such, should Lopetegui believe that he can be the manager to help Cunha rediscover his Hertha form, it is undeniable that the Brazilian would make an exceptional addition to Wolves’ current options up top ahead of the second half of the Premier League campaign.

However, following the news that Chelsea – who can offer the Brazilian Champions League football, as well as a considerably bigger salary – could now be interested in the centre-forward, it would appear as if Wolves’ chances of landing the 23-year-old have been dealt a significant blow, which is indeed terrible news for the Spanish manager.

Manchester United have been named alongside Premier League rivals Leeds United in the race to sign Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic.

The Lowdown: Lukic profiled

Lukic is primarily a central midfielder but can also play in more defensive or advanced midfield roles if required. The 26-year-old, who has been labelled ‘outstanding’ by journalist Josh Bunting, has been away with Serbia at the World Cup in Qatar, starting their first two Group G games.

He will soon be entering the final 18 months of his Torino contract, and it seems as if a move to Old Trafford could be a possibility.

The Latest: Man United linked with Lukic

Sport Witness relayed an update from Torino Granata regarding Lukic on Thursday in which the Red Devils were named.

They claimed that Manchester United are interested in the midfielder, who has been followed by domestic rivals Leeds during the World Cup.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news-7/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Alongside Gakpo?

Leeds were keen to sign Cody Gakpo in the summer, but it seems as if the Netherlands star could soon be moving to Old Trafford after an ‘agreement in principle’ was reached.

Therefore, the Red Devils could look to pip their rivals to another possible signing in Lukic, who may be seen as a shrewd addition to Erik ten Hag’s midfield.

You could argue that United need more midfield reinforcements, with only two defensive, two central and two attacking midfielders on the books at this moment in time, so the versatile Lukic could bolster all three of those areas at Old Trafford.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst signed seven new players for Glasgow Rangers during the summer as he hoped to build on the momentum which saw the Ibrox side reach the Europa League final and win the Scottish Cup.

Not all have worked out, however, with only Antonio Colak – who has scored 14 goals – impressing for any length of time. Injuries have hampered the likes of John Souttar, Tom Lawrence, and Ben Davies, while Malik Tillman and Ridvan Yilmaz have found it hard to adjust at times.

Despite the underwhelming window, it could have been worse had the Dutchman signed a Rangers target in Harry Winks, as the midfielder has had a torrid time this season.

Rangers dodged a bullet on Harry Winks

It was reported in the summer that Tottenham Hotspur had offered Winks to Rangers as they looked to move him on.

With the midfielder earning £91k-per-week at Spurs, any potential move would likely have been a loan deal, with the London side paying part of his wages.

A move didn’t materialise, however, with Winks joining Serie A side Sampdoria on a season-long loan deal at the end of August, and Van Bronckhorst certainly dodged a bullet on the Englishman.

Journalist Rob Guest had previously suggested that Winks had “struggled” for minutes while at Spurs during the last couple of seasons and the move to Italy looked like it was a fresh start for the player.

Fast forward three months and the move has turned into a nightmare, with Winks not yet playing a game for Sampdoria.

This is due to niggling injuries that have hampered his progress and considering Van Bronckhorst’s current injury crisis at the moment, not signing Winks has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

A move for the 26-year-old may have been similar to the club signing Aaron Ramsey in January. Players on a high wage combined with a poor injury history trying to get up to speed with Scottish football.

Despite calls for the manager to enhance the squad following Champions League qualification near the end of the summer window, the Ibrox faithful will certainly be pleased to have avoided Winks.

After West Bromwich Albion’s first victory under Carlos Corberan, they now face one of the toughest tests that the Championship has to offer with a trip to Queens Park Rangers today.

Michael Beale has earned huge praise for his exploits with the west London club, leading them to fourth in the table. This has led to links with the likes of Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have both sought new managers over the past month.

After the Rs’ draw on the road to promotion-chasing Norwich City in midweek, they will now be hoping to capitalise on the woes of an Albion side who have lost three of their last four games.

The Spaniard will still be unsure of what his best side is, having only recently arrived at The Hawthorns, but with a new manager comes a fresh slate for the players who have largely watched on amid the Baggies’ slump to 23rd in the table.

Such is the way, there will likely be plenty of changes with each passing game week. This week, Corberan is expected to make just three alterations from their last match against Blackpool.

However, the back four should remain untouched after picking up a clean sheet against the Tangerines, who boast the league’s joint-top scorer in Jerry Yates.

Alex Palmer remains between the sticks, whilst Kyle Bartley will be hoping to maintain his successful return to the side alongside Dara O’Shea at the heart of defence. Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong will occupy the full-back spots.

Their match-winner from midweek will definitely retain his place, as Okay Yokuslu’s steely resolve in midfield should nicely complement Tom Rogic, who comes in for Taylor Gardner-Hickman. The Australian could provide a touch of class beside the commandeering Turkish destroyer.

Just in front of them is John Swift, who still retains the highest SofaScore rating of any West Brom player this season. He will be flanked by Matt Phillips, while Grady Diangana could be recalled in place of Jed Wallace.

The “magic” winger, as he was dubbed by journalist Graeme Brown, now has a chance to shine after the former Millwall man’s disappointing display against the Tangerines, when he posted the lowest Sofascore rating of any Albion starter with just 6.4.

They will all supplement the final change to the line-up, as Brandon Thomas-Asante should replace Karlan Grant, who suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday night and will be out of today’s match.

Predicted West Brom XI (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, O’Shea, Townsend; Yokuslu, Rogic; Diangana, Swift, Phillips; Thomas-Asante.

Queens Park Rangers manager Michael Beale has agreed terms to take over at Wolves, 90min report.

The Lowdown: Speculation

Beale has been hugely impressive with The R’s since joining from Aston Villa in the summer. The 42-year-old has guided the club to the top of the Championship, with a 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Wednesday potentially his last game in charge.

Wolves have made Beale their first-choice target to succeed Bruno Lage on Wednesday, and it looks as if a move is edging ever closer.

The Latest: Agreement reached

90min shared an update regarding Beale and Wolves on Wednesday. They claimed that Beale has agreed terms at Molineux after Wolves were hugely impressed with the QPR manager during talks.

The report adds that Wolves are now looking to negotiate a fee with QPR for Beale’s services, although they would be willing to pay his full release clause.

The Verdict: Nightmare news

QPR appeared to be going from strength to strength under Beale and seem like real promotion contenders, so this update on the boss is gutting.

Last night’s win against Cardiff could well be the final time we see Beale in the home dugout, with the club potentially on the search for his successor.

A move isn’t completely finalised yet, though, so there may still be some hope of keeping Beale at the club, but you’d say that is unlikely following this breakthrough.

Crystal Palace will be looking to pick up just their second Premier League win of the season when they take on Leeds United at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Patrick Vieira’s side have endured a tough start to the new campaign and sit in 17th position, although they have played two fewer games than some of the teams around them.

A home game against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds side presents a great opportunity to move away from the sides currently in the relegation spots but the Eagles will have to be at their best if they want to earn three points.

Here is how Football FanCast expects Vieira to line his side up against the Yorkshire outfit, with two changes from the team that started in the 2-1 defeat against Chelsea last weekend.

Vicente Guaita unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal after some impressive recent performances, with the Spaniard showing his class in the 0-0 draw against Newcastle United last month where he made an eye-catching five saves.

There is one change in defence, as Joachim Andersen was confirmed to be back in contention for this weekend, so he resumes his partnership with Marc Guehi in the middle.

Joel Ward moves over to right-back to replace the injured Nathaniel Clyne, while Tyrick Mitchell keeps his place on the left-hand side.

There is another change in the middle, as Vieira opted for an incredibly attacking side against Chelsea, so the more conservative Will Hughes comes in for the “unbelievable” – in the words of Ian Wright – Michael Olise in the hope that the Eagles look more solid in midfield.

He starts alongside Cheick Doucoure, with Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze hoping to provide the magic out on the wings.

Finally, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard continue together in attack after they combined for the Eagles’ goal against Chelsea, with the Eagles hoping for more moments like that as they look to get their season going at Selhurst Park this weekend.

Everton’s transfer business has come in for a lot of criticism in recent years, but it appears as if the Toffees struck gold when they signed Demarai Gray last summer.

The former Leicester City winger joined the Merseyside club in a £1.7m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 and was one of the star performers at Goodison Park last season as Frank Lampard’s side narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old made 34 appearances in the 2021/22 Premier League, contributing five goals and four assists, averaging an impressive 6.78 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Martin Keown was full of praise for Gray after an impressive goal against Leeds United, saying: “He puts it through the defender’s legs and spins on to his unfavoured left foot and really that’s inspirational.

“He’s just thought I’ll have a go here and unbelievably it’s squeezed in. Against the run of play I should mention as well – give him some freedom and it shows what he can do!”

This ranked him as the fourth-best performer at the club, and considering that two of those ranked higher than him have now departed (Richarlison and Lucas Digne), it seems likely that the ex-Leicester winger will have a big part to play again this season at Goodison Park.

The 26-year-old has started all six of Everton’s Premier League fixtures thus far, contributing one goal in the draw against Brentford, averaging a solid 6.61 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Now that Gray is an established top-flight player, his market value has significantly increased since his move from Leverkusen, with the CIES Football Observatory valuing him at €20m (£17.4m).

[freshpress-quiz id=“638086″]

This represents a 1,024% increase on the £1.7m that Everton paid for him only a year ago, which emphasises that they got him for a bargain fee in what is a refreshing change from some nightmarish business in recent seasons. Cenk Tosun, Davy Klassen and Yannick Bolasie are all prime examples of players who cost more than £20m but achieved very little at Goodison Park.

Although Everton fans will surely be hoping that Gray doesn’t leave any time soon, the Toffees look likely to make a big profit on the English winger should he depart Goodison Park, and the club deserves credit for bringing him in for so little.

Arsenal have lined up Villarreal’s Yeremy Pino as an alternative option to Wolves winger Pedro Neto, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Neto pursuit

As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Gunners have identified the 22-year-old forward as their first-choice replacement for Nicolas Pepe, who recently joined Ligue 1 outfit Nice on a season-long loan.

Football.London have shared reports which claim that Mikel Arteta’s side are currently only willing to sanction a £35m move for the Portugal international, whereas Wolves are holding out for closer to £50m.

It is believed that talks between the two Premier League clubs have been ongoing for more than a month, with intermediary Jorge Mendes playing a key role in the discussions.

The Latest: Taylor’s news

According to Spanish outlet AS, Arsenal have also shown an interest in Villarreal winger Pino.

Taylor believes that the Gunners are lining up the 19-year-old as an alternative option to Neto if they are unable to come to an agreement with Wolves over a fee for the Portuguese forward.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reliable journalist claimed: “With Pino, he is one of a few. From what I understand, there are alternatives that Arsenal would be willing to go for if they can’t get Neto. But they don’t want to just sign someone for the sake of it. It has to be a player that is genuinely going to improve their squad and also someone who fits their transfer policy.”

The King of North London! Honour his most famous goal with this awesome t-shirt! – Click here to buy…

The Verdict: Great alternative

The Spain international made an incredible impression in La Liga last season after scoring six goals and producing four assists in 31 top-flight appearances for Unai Emery’s side.

This was on top of seven appearances in the Champions League, in which the winger impressively helped Villarreal to reach the semi-finals.

After an emphatic four-goal performance against Espanyol in February, Fabrizio Romano was full of praise the youngster, claiming that he played a ‘special game’ and describing him as a ‘special talent’.

Therefore, if Arsenal find themselves struggling to get the Neto deal over the line, Pino could be a worthy target for Arteta and co instead.

Wolves are still interested in signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi in the summer transfer window, but face competition from Premier League rivals Everton.

The Lowdown: Wolves keen on Batshuayi

Bruno Lage was in need of a new striker at the start of the summer but Raul Jimenez’s current injury has only intensified their desperation for one.

The Mexican will miss the opening weeks, if not months, of the season and it leaves Wanderers light on options as the 2022/23 campaign gets started.

One player who has been linked with a loan move to Molineux is Batshuayi, and that still looks like a transfer that could materialise, following a new update.

The Latest: New rumour emerges

According to Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws [via Sport Witness], Wolves and Everton are the two clubs who are keen on signing Batshuayi this summer, as they battle for his signature.

The Belgian’s current Chelsea deal expires next year and it is noted that the Blues will hope to sell him in the coming weeks.

His representatives would prefer a new contract at Stamford Bridge and then loan move elsewhere however, which is Fosun’s preferred option also.

[freshpress-quiz id=“398117″]

The Verdict: Ticks all the boxes

Batshuayi would be an ideal signing for Wolves, considering he is at just at the brink of his prime, not to mention being described as ‘top class’ by Frank Lampard.

[freshpress-poll id=“399044″]

He has huge know-how at the top level, scoring a highly impressive 25 goals in 45 caps for Belgium, but at 28 he should still have years at his best, so perhaps a loan deal with a permanent option would be the best deal for all parties.

Batshuayi has already scored 15 goals in the Premier League too, showing that he knows the competition well, and we feel would more than fill the void left by Jimenez.