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After securing their fourth consecutive draw in League One with a 2-2 result against Cheltenham Town at the weekend, Sheffield Wednesday are back in action on Tuesday evening with a big clash against Sunderland, who are currently six points ahead of Darren Moore’s side in the table.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the midweek match against the Black Cats, one Wednesday player that featured in the draw against Cheltenham that we feel should be in the starting XI against Sunderland is defender Chey Dunkley.

During the match at the weekend, Dunkley started and played the full 90 minutes and not only did he manage to score one of Wednesday’s goals on the day, but he also managed to make a vital contribution at the other end of the pitch.

He made three interceptions, blocked three shots and produced four clearances which led to him winning ten of the 14 duels he was involved in. That ultimately earned him an impressive overall match rating of 8/10, making him Wednesday’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how useful Dunkley, who has been described as “solid” in the past by Moore, can be for the Owls in a defensive and attacking sense on this occasion. That’s precisely why we feel he would be a good option to start again against Sunderland who could see their attacking players bullied while trying to get past the Wednesday defender.

The Yorkshire side signed Dunkley back in August 2020 from Wigan Athletic on a free transfer on a reported two-year deal. Since then, the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £720k according to Transfermarkt, has made 22 appearances for the Owls across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match against Lee Johnson’s side, who were beaten 5-1 by Rotherham United in their previous league outing, we feel that Dunkley should definitely be in the starting XI, especially if Dominic Iorfa, who missed the Cheltenham game through injury, isn’t available to play after Moore said it’s 50/50 over whether he’d be fit enough to play a part.

If Dunkley does play in midweek, we think he would give Wednesday a great chance of grabbing a positive result and keeping their unbeaten streak going with the Owls having not lost a league game since their 2-1 defeat against Oxford United back in early October.

In other news: Sheff Weds sweating over big injury blow ahead of SAFC clash, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Manchester City are part of a select group of clubs who could tempt Kalidou Koulibaly to leave Napoli.

That’s what the Senegalese defender apparently told Italian journalist Valter De Maggio (via Area Napoli).

De Maggio asked Koulibaly whether he’d consider a move to Juventus, but was told that he would ‘never go and play for another Italian club’.

Instead, the 30-year-old insisted he would only leave for ‘two, maximum three clubs in the world’.

‘Guardiola’s Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona’ were the three sides identified.

Koulibaly admired at The Etihad

City were keen to sign Koulibaly in 2020 but wound up striking a deal for Ruben Dias instead.

The relationship between the reigning Premier League champions and Napoli is ‘not good’ after Chelsea were allowed to hijack their move for Jorginho in 2018.

But Koulibaly continues to impress, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay recently making the case that the ‘weapons-grade’ ‘colossus’ was the best player in the world on form – he’s helped Napoli win nine and draw one of their first 10 Serie A games.

They also lie second in their UEFA Europa League group, ahead of Leicester City, at the halfway stage.

Fan feed City Xtra relayed De Maggio’s comments, and here’s what supporters made of them.

City fans flock to Koulibaly claims

“Ake straight swap”

Credit: @TeacherOfBall

“We are finished without Pep blud”

Credit: @UnrealFoden

“The poor bloke is still packing his bags”

Credit: @_TJ932O

“We got Father Ruben, pal. We don’t need you.”

Credit: @mvx_mcfc

“I’m sick of his name I cant lie”

Credit: @BernardoTouch

“Too little too late”

Credit: @ashley__04

In other news, fans have called for this signing.  

Former Premiership striker Noel Whelan, who now works as a pundit for the BBC, believes there is no chance Rangers will allow Glen Kamara to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kamara a key man for Rangers

Steven Gerrard’s side have enjoyed great success in recent times, getting their hands on the Premiership title last season.

Kamara has been a key presence for them during this period – indeed, his manager has hailed him as ‘fantastic’, impressing in the middle of the park and subsequently being linked with a move away from Ibrox.

The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan is adamant that the 25-year-old won’t move on in January, but admitted a summer exit could be on the cards:

“It’s not a worry in terms of his performances, because he’s kept the putting in the same standard of performances.

“Contract talks are never easy, especially when you’re trying to keep big players at the club. It’s especially hard when there’s a real possibility of selling him at the end of the season.

“It will be the end of the season if he is sold.

“There’s no way Rangers would sell in January when they’ll still be fighting for Europe and fighting to retain the title.

“If the deal is to be signed, you would expect that all parties would have agreed to it by January. He’s an important player, and one that Steven Gerrard clearly admires.”

The Verdict: Summer exit likely

The idea of losing Kamara midway through the season doesn’t bear thinking about considering the influence he has for Rangers, averaging an 89.1% pass completion rate and 1.2 tackles per game in the league this season and holding down a regular place in the side under Gerrard.

In truth, though, it could be hard to keep the Finland international at Ibrox beyond next summer, at which point he may decide he needs a fresh challenge.

In an ideal world, Kamara would stay with the Gers for the foreseeable future, but it is hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be tempted by lucrative offers from elsewhere.

In other news, some Rangers fans have been left raging for one specific reason. Read more here.

Flocking to Twitter, these West Ham United fans have erupted over a fresh transfer claim involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

David Moyes has set his sights on signing a centre-half in January as emergency cover for injured duo Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma with West Ham facing a congested fixture calendar.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The January transfer window could be a fruitful avenue to strengthen West Ham sufficiently whilst providing a real injection of quality into the side.

Having dropped out of the top four after a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal recently, Irons supporters have been left thrilled after a fresh update involving Phillips.

According to The Sun, as West Ham and recruitment chief Rob Newman eye a move, it is believed that Liverpool are now ‘willing to sell’ their defender for just £15 million next month.

The 24-year-old, by his own admission, is also open to leaving in January and the Reds apparently won’t stand on his way if a £15m bid is put on the table.

West Ham fans erupt…

Given this price tag and Phillips’ ability, it’s little wonder some supporters see this as an ‘absolute bargain’.

The central defender averaged more clearances per 90 in the Premier League than any Liverpool player last season (WhoScored), a sure indication of his dependability at the back.

Still a fairly young player, these Irons supporters believe snapping him up for £15m is a no-brainer.

Find all of their best verdicts down below:

“Yes please”

Credit: @WestHamXtra

“Absolute bargain, Give them Diop for free as well”

Credit: @iDUNKbiscuits

“He would be a great addition!”

Credit: @dhramijo

“Would be buzzing to pull this off would rather him over ake or tarkowski”

Credit: @StephenCochrane

“@WestHam starter for ten let’s go irons don’t leave it too late the teams slipping”

Credit: @nubaka

“can be good for a proven pl player caleta car never played in pl so we don’t know if he have what’s needed + when ogbonna gonna retire we have a good cb pairing with zouma 15M is a steal”

Credit: @krays2208

In other news: ‘We are back’, ‘What I wanted to hear’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘best news’ has these West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Many West Ham United fans have been angered on Twitter, following a post from The Athletic writer Roshane Thomas detailing some of David Moyes’ comments on transfer activities at the London Stadium this summer.

With the Premier League set to kick-off for the Hammers this Saturday away to Newcastle United, the Londoners go into the tie having made just two signings in the form of Craig Dawson and Alphonse Areola [Transfermarkt].

Now, West Ham fans have been thrust into further anxiety over recruitment activity after input from the manager, who stated the following (via Thomas’ Twitter account): “We’ve got offers in but not everything is coming to fruition.”

As you can imagine, loads of West Ham United diehards took to social media to vent their fury at the recent communication, with the transfer window due to shut in a matter of weeks.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to Thomas’ Twitter page, here is what some Irons fans had to say about recent developments:

“Nothing is coming to fruition! And it’s not good enough”

Credit: @cheersthough

“I predict last minute loan deals will form the basis of our summer ‘activity’”

Credit: @teepee61

“Moyes Out”

Credit: @whufctom_

“This guy is an embarrassment”

Credit: @JayWHU

 “Fake bids, 3 weeks on one bid and player still hasn’t signed, no intentions to sign, publicity stunts #EnoughIsEnough #GSBOUT”

Credit: @ChrisBetts82″Moyes Out”Credit: @whufctom_In other news, West Ham fans react to a transfer update.

Everton would have been better off targeting Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga instead of plumping for free agent Andros Townsend, according to Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy.

Rafa Benitez was appointed as the Toffees’ new boss in June, following Carlo Ancelotti’s shock return to Real Madrid, and quickly made Townsend his first signing having worked with the former Crystal Palace man at Newcastle United.

Townsend headed to Goodison Park after seeing his contract at Palace expire at the end of June.

Everton, who have signed another winger in the form of Demarai Gray ahead of the season getting underway, have also been heavily linked with Boga.

The Toffees are not the only club targeting the 24-year-old Sassuolo man, with Leeds United and Crystal Palace showing an interest while Serie A side Atalanta have seen a £15.5million bid knocked back.

Boga made one Premier League appearance during his time with Chelsea and Italian football expert Clancy believes Benitez should have prioritised signing Boga instead of Townsend.

He told Football FanCast: “There’s no competition between Boga and Townsend. Boga is twice the player Townsend is – and then some.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar recently and the Frenchman could be a superb addition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to French news outlet Le10 Sport, Spurs have joined their North London rivals Arsenal in the race for the Lyon star this summer.

The report claims that whilst Lyon are keen to keep him at the club, they have been hugely impacted by the issues with the TV deals in Ligue 1 that have left the majority of French clubs under financial strain, which means that they could be willing to let him go for less than the £45m they demanded of Arsenal last summer.

Would he be a good signing?

Aouar has been a regular at Lyon in the past four seasons, making 170 appearances for the French giants, in which he has contributed an impressive 32 goals and 31 assists from midfield.

Last season saw the 23-year-old contribute seven goals and three assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Les Gones, averaging a solid 6.83 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Whilst that would rank him above the majority of Spurs’ midfield options from last season, Spurs should perhaps be wary of the fact that Tanguy Ndombele, who was also signed from Lyon, has thus far failed to reach the level he was consistently showing in Ligue 1, despite some improved performances last campaign after a nightmare first season at the club.

However, Aouar is clearly a player who is held in high regard across Europe, with legendary Barcelona star Lionel Messi naming him as one of 15 young players to watch, whilst also singing his praises in 2020, saying:

“He is always calm with the ball at his feet with an excellent technical quality.”

Therefore, if he is able to adapt to the Premier League then he could prove to be a superb addition to Espirito Santo’s side this summer, so sporting director Fabio Paratici should definitely be looking to bring him in.

And, in other news… Paratici can sign Nuno a serious Dier upgrade with swoop for “brilliant” beast

Liverpool have started 2021/22 excellently and their season could be about to receive another significant boost as talismanic attacked Mohamed Salah is now expected to sign a new contract.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old’s current deal expires in the summer of 2023 and he has occasionally openly flirted with the idea of moving to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, Salah now appears set to extend his stay at Anfield after entering negotiations over fresh terms several weeks ago.

And now, journalist Mark Jones has provided an update on the flying winger’s situation, claiming he expects him to put pen to paper on a new contract.

He said: “He can be a force of nature, really. I mean, in terms of his future as well, I mean, I think he’s probably missed that boat in terms of a potential move to Real Madrid or Barcelona,” said Jones on the from the Mirror Football YouTube channel (as relayed by This is Futbol).

“I know there are contract negotiations still going on, but I expect him to sign one pretty soon and he’ll go on and get even more goals.”

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

In 208 appearances for the Anfield outfit, Salah has bagged 129 goals and provided a further 49 assists, firing Jurgen Klopp’s charges towards the Champions League crown, Premier League title, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

And while many of his teammates struggled last season, he was one of few shining lights for Liverpool, continuing to put the ball in the back of the net with alarming regularity.

Therefore, news that Salah is expected to remain on Merseyside for many years to come will certainly have the supporters buzzing with excitement.

The former AS Roma ace reached a landmark total of 100 Premier League goals after scoring in the 3-0 victory over Leeds United last time out, and he’ll be hoping to inspire his side to more success this season.

Salah will be following in the footsteps of several high-profile first-team stars in penning new deals at Liverpool this year, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson all doing the same.

And, in other news…Zero key passes, lost 50% of his duels: Liverpool ace flopped on the CL stage 

Tottenham Hotspur have received some rather encouraging news…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs star Heung-min Son is expected to sign a new long-term contract, having held talks with the club since December.

He tweeted:

“Heung-min Son is expected to sign soon his new contract with Tottenham, negotiations going on since December and now all parties confident to complete the agreement.

“Son is staying at Tottenham, higher salary and new long-term agreement.”

The 28-year-old forward originally joined the North London outfit in a £22m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 and is thought to currently be on around £140k-per-week.

Fonseca boost

After all the disappointment throughout the 2020/21 campaign, this is finally some great news for the Lilywhites faithful, and it’ll also hand their incoming new manager Paulo Fonseca an instant boost.

There are doubts over the future of Harry Kane after Sky Sports reported that he had expressed his desire to leave the club this summer.

That, combined with a seventh-place finish and yet another season without silverware, would surely be enough to put any key man off sticking around – but not Son.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-spurs-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-manager-update-fonseca-paratici-levy” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, injury updates and more!”]

Valued at a whopping £76.5m, the 91-cap South Korean international is one of Spurs’ most influential and biggest players. He has provided 107 goals and 64 assists across 280 appearances, which is one direct goal contribution every one-and-a-half matches, via Transfermarkt.

He has formed a pretty lucrative partnership with Kane over the years, too. And that reached a new level early last season, where the pair broke a Premier League record to become the most prolific duo in any season, beating Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton from 1994/95.

Son’s importance to this Spurs squad was also displayed by the fact that he was one of their most creative options, finishing the campaign with a squad-high two key passes per game, on top of providing ten assists.

On his own, he provided nearly 40% of all their goals scored during last term.

Fonseca will surely be delighted to know that he will arrive at Tottenham with Son on the verge of being tied down for the long term. It gives him one less thing to worry about and of course, hands him a beast who will play a big part in his team.

This latest Hotspur Way development is exciting news for everyone.

AND in other news, Paratici could finally axe Lamela with Spurs swoop for “magical” £26m-rated “prodigy”…

Aiden McGeady’s dazzling footwork was once again not enough to get Sunderland back into the Championship, but he is still yet to sign a new deal on Wearside and former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes the winger will be holding out for more money from the club.

During the second half of last season, the Black Cats were eventually taken over by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus who became the youngest owner in English football, and with a lot of financial power himself and in his family, Sunderland could splash the cash this summer.

McGeady was shunned out of the first-team picture during the first half of the season under former boss, Phil Parkinson, however Lee Johnson brought him straight back in and despite playing just 24 league games he managed to top the assist chart with 16 and get into the WhoScored team of the season with a 7.4 rating.

It would be a huge blow for Sunderland to lose McGeady although it could be for the best to move him on if he is holding out for more money because the club has new owners – something Howey spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern about:

“He might be holding out for more money or he could be a little bit annoyed with how he was treated because he was exiled a little bit earlier but ultimately, that wasn’t under the manager who is there now.

“He made the League One Team of the Season this year, so even though the club is not basking in money, they do have new owners and he could want them to pay him more.”

There is no doubting McGeady’s qualities on the ball as he is carried Sunderland numerous times to victory or back into games, however at 35-years-old he may now see this as his final big payday before retiring or returning back to Ireland.

Another contract rebel is Charlie Wyke, who is also set to become a free agent later this summer unless he decides to sign the new deal that is on the table for him but after scoring 25 goals in League One he may want to test himself in the Championship.