Tag Futebol

Everton have long-term been linked with a move for Ismaila Sarr and now a reliable source has given an update on the club’s pursuit of the player ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Simon Phillips, Everton have legitimate interest in signing the Watford and Senegal winger next month.

Phillips told GIVEMESPORT:

“It’s an interesting link because I know when Frank Lampard was at Chelsea, he [Sarr] was one of the names that he put forward to the Chelsea board when he was looking at attackers.

“You can be pretty sure that the interest there is legit, especially from Frank Lampard’s side.”

Lampard needs him badly

Frank Lampard will surely be extremely concerned with the unstable situation Everton have found themselves in over their first 15 outings in the Premier League so far.

The Toffees are currently 17th in the top flight and just one point clear of the relegation zone, so it will be crucial for Everton to start picking up points when they return to action after Christmas to avoid falling further.

Indeed, the Everton boss will be given the golden opportunity to strengthen his team when the transfer window re-opens in the new year and should grasp the chance to improve the goal threat.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer goals than the Merseysiders, so snapping up a player who can not only improve the attacking threat but also deliver more goal contributions at Goodison Park is vital.

As a result, the signing of Sarr could benefit the Toffees significantly, especially if he can continue to display his current form in front of goal.

Over 18 Championship appearances, the £35m-valued winger – who was dubbed “super talented” by former Watford manager Rob Edwards – has scored six goals, registered four assists and created three big chances, as well as averaging 2.2 shots on goal, 1.1 successful dribbles and winning 3.8 duels per game.

In fact, Sarr has been consistent and reliable for Watford ever since he joined the club in 2019 – scoring 30 times and registering 21 assists over 110 appearances with a goal contribution every 175 minutes.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Lampard is in need of a forward like Sarr in his team and if the powers at Goodison Park can secure his services in January it could give Everton a huge boost in their pursuit of retaining their Premier League status.

Manchester United have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of reported transfer target Marcus Thuram, who is attracting interest from a plethora of clubs…

What’s the word?

The desire for a new talismanic attacker at Old Trafford has been at the forefront of transfer attention for some time now, magnified by the rancorous departure of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo last month. 

Italian reporter Rudy Galetti stated recently (via Manchester Evening News) that the Red Devils have been weighing up a move for the French ace, whose contract with Borussia Monchengladbach will expire at the end of the campaign. 

Sport Bild have now claimed (via The Sun) that United manager Erik ten Hag has maintained interest in bringing the 25-year-old to the Premier League, with the winter transfer window less than two weeks away from opening.

“Beast” available for a bargain

United have shown promising signs of resilience following the appointment of Ten Hag from AFC Ajax, but the Manchester club remain outside the pantheon of Europe’s very best. 

The addition of a talented, dynamic striker – i.e. someone in Thuram’s mould – could spark a shift in the momentum and propel the club right to the very top of the Premier League. The Theatre of Dreams will also prepare for a massive Europa League knockout clash against Barcelona in February.

Signing Thuram would be a massive coup for whichever club lands him, with his contract situation meaning that he is available for a mere £9.6m.

Sport Bild have also stated that the Foals have already initiated the process of identifying a replacement, and a January move could become a concrete prospect for the Old Trafford club.

The “beast” (as dubbed by Atul Kasbekar) could bring a talismanic aura to Manchester and provide clinical prowess to lift the Red Devils above their current standing of fifth in the Premier League table, albeit just three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and with a game in hand. 

The nine-cap ace has netted 13 goals and supplied four assists from only 17 appearances for Gladback this term, casting aside the cobwebs of an injury-plagued 2021/22 which saw him score just three times. 

Blessed with blistering pace and fierce physicality, the 25-year-old has assumed a versatile role throughout his career but has slowly crept toward a central standing within the front three, now playing as an out-and-out forward with regularity.

Nonetheless, his dynamism could be an arresting factor when it comes to Ten Hag’s decision, with his flexibility likely to sway the winds in his favour, coupled with the cut-price fee. 

As per FBRef, Thuram ranks within the top 7% for non-penalty goals and 5% for dribbles completed when compared to forwards across Europe’s top five leagues in 2022, an indication of the prolific edge and fluidity that he would bring to the United frontline.

Considering the low price, his adaptability and an ever-increasing thirst for goals, Thuram would be a sterling addition at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag must indeed make his move before losing him to a rival suitor.

Leeds United head into tonight’s Carabao Cup meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers in excellent form.

Jesse Marsch’s side have won back-to-back Premier League fixtures for the first time this season with victories against Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth in their last two outings.

However, with the League Cup not likely to be much of a priority for the 48-year-old manager in the current campaign, the American could well look to name something of a rotated side at Molineux – handing some of his lesser-seen first-teamers and brightest youth prospects some much-needed senior minutes against challenging opposition.

So, how many changes with Marsch make to the side that started the 4-3 win over Bournemouth last weekend?

Here’s how we at Football FanCast think the Leeds side could look tonight, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With Phil Hay revealing that Patrick Bamford looks likely to miss tonight’s meeting after suffering yet another injury setback, as well as Leeds currently possessing a number of extremely impressive young talents worthy of a shot in the first team, we predict that Marsch will make ten changes to the side the started the victory over the Cherries last time out.

There are wholesale changes in the back five, with Kristoffer Klaesson coming in for Illan Meslier between the sticks, Junior Firpo replacing Pascal Struijk at left-back, Leo Hjelde and Diego Llorente taking Liam Cooper and Robin Koch’s spots in the middle and Luke Ayling coming in for Rasmus Kristensen on the right.

In the middle of the park, both Tyler Adams and Marc Roca are handed rests, with Sam Greenwood and Mateusz Klich starting in Marsch’s two-man midfield.

In the three behind the forward, Italian “wonderkid” Wilfried Gnonto is handed his full debut on the left flank after two incredibly impressive displays from the bench, Joe Gelhardt starts in the number 10 role and back-to-back match-winner Crysencio Summerville starts on the right.

Finally, with Bamford out, Sonny Perkins is handed his first team debut up top, with the 18-year-old having been “absolutely on fire” for the U21s this season, in the words of scout Jacek Kulig, after scoring eight goals in 12 appearances.

Former Premier League goalkeeper now pundit Paddy Kenny has been left reacting to some Glasgow Rangers news that he has heard on John Lundstram.

The Lowdown: New deal?

As per The Daily Record, the Ibrox outfit will ‘almost certainly’ try to get Lundstram to sign a new deal, as he has become a ‘cult hero’ at the club.

His current contract with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team expires in 2024, so they will want to protect his value with only two years left to run.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny has since given his reaction to the news that he has heard on Lundstram, with the 44-year-old claiming that a new deal would be deserved for him:

“He has done so well, hasn’t he?

“He started so well, and he has already scored some really important goals for Rangers. It’s a no-brainer. That is the term I would use.

“It makes sense to get him onto a longer deal. They don’t want to lose him as he is a key player. I saw a lot of him at Sheffield United.

“I say I saw him, that last season was during lockdown, so it was all on the TV. I still watched every week, and he always impressed me.

“I was gutted to lose him as a Sheffield United fan, but I’m pleased to see he is thriving up in Scotland.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

With just two years left remaining, a new contract is simply a must for Lundstram.

The central midfielder has not missed a single game in the Scottish Premiership or UEFA Champions League so far this season when he has been available (Transfermarkt), highlighting how key pf a player he is for Van Bronckhorst.

Nonetheless, he has also ranked highly among his teammates in the league for average tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes and dribbles per match (WhoScored), showing that he contributes heavily both in attack and defensively, and so the Gers will want to make sure that he stays at the club for as long as possible.

Liverpool are set to launch a bid for AC Milan star Ismael Bennacer in the coming days, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato (via Liverpool Echo)

The Lowdown: Thiago’s injury

The Reds suffered a tough start to the Premier League season on Saturday as they drew 2-2 to newly-promoted Fulham, twice having to come from behind.

To make matters worse, Thiago Alcantara limped off the pitch just six minutes into the second half after what appeared to be an innocuous incident.

This adds to Liverpool’s extensive injury list, which includes the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and Ibrahima Konate.

The Latest: Interest in Bennacer

According to a report by Calciomercato (via Liverpool Echo), the Reds will launch a €40m (£33.75m) bid for Bennacer in the coming days after Thiago suffered his hamstring injury against Fulham.

It is reported that the 24-year-old Algeria international has a £42.2m release clause in his Milan contract.

This contradicts the widespread news which claims that Jurgen Klopp is holding out until the summer of 2023 to bolster his options in midfield.

The Verdict: Ideal target

Bennacer’s underlying statistics illustrate why Klopp could be interested in bringing the player to Anfield this summer.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the 24-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for dribbles completed, the 94th percentile for interceptions and the 93rd percentile for tackles.

Former Milan star Giuseppe Bergomi has been full of praise for the midfielder in the past, having proclaimed: “Bennacer dominates in the middle on the pitch due to his personality and technical qualities. He finds his team-mates in perfect positions.”

Therefore, with Klopp’s team short of options in midfield, Bennacer – who has been dubbed an ‘absolutely unbelievable’ player by journalist Sam Tighe – could be the man to solve Liverpool’s issues in the middle of the park if he can be lured to Anfield.

Sky Sports have provided an update on Leeds United’s interest in FC Zurich forward Wilfried Gnonto.

The Lowdown: Gnonto links

Gnonto, who Roberto Mancini has hailed as ‘technical and fast’, has been heavily linked with an Elland Road move over the past five days.

Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio broke the news regarding Leeds’ interest on the weekend, with reports since saying that an agreement on personal terms is edging closer.

The 18-year-old has scored 13 senior goals during his career so far, one of which has come for Italy, and it looks as if Leeds are ‘ready’ to make their move.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Kaveh Solhekol had this to say regarding Leeds and Gnonto on Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show on Wednesday evening after news from their colleagues in Italy.

“Sky Italy still reporting Leeds interest in FC Zurich and Italy forward Wilfried Gnonto. They are ready to pay up to €5m.”

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The Verdict: Heating up

It looks as if a move for Gnonto has legs, and hopefully, an agreement can be reached with Zurich in good time and this relatively low fee.

Should he arrive in Yorkshire, the Italian will provide Jesse Marsch with another much-needed centre-forward option to rival Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt, while also being able to turn out in a deeper role or even out wide, adding depth across the attack.

He is clearly highly thought of by Mancini, who has already given him four senior caps for Italy, so Leeds could be getting a bargain if that €5m (£4.2m) rumoured price is accepted.

Liverpool are reportedly making strong progress regarding the potential signing of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham in the summer of 2023.

The Lowdown: Bellingham staying put

The midfielder is arguably one of the most exciting English players of his generation, already growing into a key figure for Dortmund at the age of just 19.

Bellingham has 90 appearances to his name for the Bundesliga giants and has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool in recent months, but to no avail as of yet.

The 19-year-old will instead remain at Dortmund for another season before almost certainly moving on next summer.

The Latest: Exciting update emerges

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are ‘putting in place an agreement’ to sign Bellingham in 2023 as they attempt to acquire his signature 12 months in advance, as was the case with Naby Keita.

The England gem has been ‘identified’ by the Reds’ recruitment team as someone who can take Jurgen Klopp’s side up another level, such is his quality.

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The Verdict: Makes complete sense

This is fantastic news for Liverpool if true, with Bellingham someone who looks like a prototype of a Klopp midfielder, possessing technical ability, power, intelligence and versatility. He averaged 1.6 tackles and 1.7 dribbles per game in the league last season.

With Jordan Henderson 33 by the time the 2023/24 season starts and doubts still surrounding Keita’s consistency, the Dortmund gem could be the ideal player to come in and fill the right-sided central midfield role at Anfield for many years to come.

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While it would have been exciting to see Bellingham arriving at Liverpool this summer, Klopp has enough options in midfield currently, so snapping up the 19-year-old in advance is the next best thing, with the Reds seemingly closing in on an agreement for the teenager.

Nottingham Forest have been linked with a move for Orel Mangala this summer, however, there has now been an update from a source close to the player that could write off the club’s chance of securing his signature.

What’s the latest?

According to Orel Mangala’s agent Mehmet Eser (via Sport Witness), the Nottingham Forest transfer target will likely remain at VfB Stuttgart this summer.

Eser told German news outlet SWR Sport:

“Orel can imagine staying in Stuttgart. VfB has a strong team; they can attack next season,”

“There are clubs who want to sign him, but you have to respect the contract in Stuttgart. If VfB is willing to give him up, then we have to talk.

“Orel needs time in action. The World Cup is his goal. For the next step, the perspective of the project must be right above all. The money is secondary.”

Cooper surely fuming

Steve Cooper will surely be fuming that he is unlikely to add Mangala to his squad at The City Ground this summer especially since the Forest boss has comfortably completed the signing of 11 of his transfer targets.

Nottingham Forest are intent on building a squad fit to compete in the Premier League next season, and after making a £9m bid that was rejected as Stuttgart value the player at £13m it is clear that the club felt that he would be a great addition in the team.

The 24-year-old midfielder, once dubbed a “real talent” by Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, has been a consistent and solid force for his Bundesliga side during last season.

Over 28 league appearances, Mangala scored one goal, delivered three assists and created four big chances, making one key pass and winning 3.5 duels on average per game, as well as being successful in completing his dribbles too (59%).

Nottingham Forest are in the market to replace one of their most important players last season with James Garner returning to Manchester United, although a potential loan deal for the young player to return to the newly-promoted side this summer it is looking impossible to complete after Dean Henderson’s move.

With that being said, Mangala could have been a worthy replacement to fill the Garner-shaped hole in the heart of Forest’s team, but it could prove difficult following his agent’s comments and Cooper should be prepared to look elsewhere.

AND in other news: Cooper plotting Forest bid for “versatile” £6.8m target, imagine him & Lingard

Newcastle United had one standout figure in their squad last season on whom they relied to make things happen from an attacking point of view – Allan Saint-Maximin.

With five goals and five assists to his name, no other Toon player could match the number of goal contributions for the team that the French winger accrued.

In fact, the attacker also topped the list for number of shots taken (64), shots on target (26), shot-creating actions (114) and successful dribbles (140) at the Tyneside club. This highlights just how important the 25-year-old is for Eddie Howe’s side in an attacking sense.

With the summer transfer window still open, the next few weeks could give Howe the chance to bring in a player who could not only take some of the attacking workload away from Saint-Maximin, but also create a devilish partnership with him at the same time.

One player who has been mentioned with a move to St James’ Park and who could fit this bill is Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio.

Despite predominantly playing on the left wing throughout his career, the Spaniard has also been known to play as an attacking midfielder and on the right flank, the sort of versatility which could make it easy for Howe to get him into the same team as Saint-Maximin.

With 49 goals and 24 assists to his name in 235 appearances for Real Madrid, this shows just how similar he is to the current Toon attacker in terms of not only being able to score goals but set them up for his team-mates as well.

To further highlight his attacking talent, in his 137 La Liga outings since the start of the 2017/18 season, the 26-year-old has racked up 309 shot-creating actions, 215 shots at goal, 126 successful dribbles and 270 crosses.

Hailed as a “magical” player by Casemiro, Asensio would surely be an excellent addition to Newcastle’s squad and give lots of opposition defenders nightmares, especially playing alongside Saint-Maximin.

If an opportunity to sign the £117k-per-week winger arises before the transfer window ends, the Magpies should not be reluctant in trying to secure a deal for him.

AND in other news: PIF plotting NUFC bid for £211k-p/w target, he’d be “one of the best” summer signings

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has now made a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving sporting director Fabio Paratici amid the club’s hunt for new additions.

The Lowdown: Paratici busy…

Having already completed three major signings in Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma on permanent deals, the Lilywhites transfer chief hasn’t exactly stopped there.

Paratici also visited his native Italy last week and is believed to have conducted a meeting with Roma over potential player sales and getting information on their star playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo (Sky Sports).

Closer to home, Spurs remain heavily linked with the likes of Leeds United star Raphinha, among others.

The Latest: Michael Bridge makes Spurs claim…

Sharing an update on Paratici’s plans for the north Londoners, Sky journalist Bridge has some news for supporters.

Indeed, he claims that the sporting director personally has his eyes on Everton star Richarlison, although no bid has been made yet for the 25-year-old.

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Also sharing news on a possible exit agreement for midfielder Harry Winks, Bridge explained (via Twitter): “Tottenham & Everton still in talks over Harry Winks transfer. Tottenham want a permanent deal. Everton want loan deal with permanent obligation. Winks aware he’s not in Conte’s plans. #THFC keen to do deal with Everton. Richarlison is admired by Fabio Paratici but no bids so far.”

The Verdict: Advance…

Richarlison, who once boasted an asking price of £100m, could move on for much less than that this summer, as some reports suggest that he is now valued at £50m.

After this seismic drop in value, Spurs would be foolish not to take full advantage given that the Brazil international was statistically Everton’s best-performing player last season (WhoScored).

Having averaged the Toffees’ most attempts at goal per 90 in the Premier League whilst also finishing the 2021/22 campaign as their top scorer (10), Richarlison would undoubtedly strengthen Tottenham’s attacking options.

He is also apparently ‘open’ to joining manager Antonio Conte in N17, as reported by reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.