Manchester United are hoping to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in double deal from Bayern Munich before the transfer window closes.
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Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has blasted the Blues for how they've treated Conor Gallagher.
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Although Wolverhampton Wanderers are chasing a top-half Premier League finish this season, Gary O’Neil’s squad is lacking in real squad depth, particularly with regard to his attacking options.
Having seen injuries to Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha in recent weeks, O’Neil has been forced to utilise the talents of Nathan Fraser and Leon Chiwome in the starting XI recently.
While being able to call upon a couple of talented teenagers, the Old Gold are chasing a top-half finish with the lack of real experience in the final third, and this could perhaps cost them in the long run.
The summer transfer window could see the former Bournemouth manager delve into the market to add some reinforcements to his attacking options, with one name already being touted for a potential move….
According to Spanish outlet Sport, on loan Brighton and Hove Albion starlet Ansu Fati won't be renewing his deal to remain with the Seasiders next season.
The youngster has failed to make a real lasting impression on the south coast since arriving last summer, and he is heading back to Barcelona to assess his future options.
One of these could potentially be a move to Wolves. His agent is Jorge Mendes, who is well known to the Molineux outfit over the years and this could stand them in good stead with regard to making a temporary move for the player.
The report does mention interest from La Liga sides Valencia and Sevilla, who are keen to have the Barcelona sensation in their squad next term.
He still has a contract at the Catalan giants until 2027 and his current market value is €19.2m (£16.5m) according to Football Transfers, meaning a permanent deal would perhaps cost Wolves too much.
A loan move, on the other hand, could certainly work in their favour, with Fati already having some experience in the Premier League this term.
Pedro Neto has attracted interest of late and Fati could be a solid replacement for the Portuguese winger, for a season at least.
According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, both Liverpool and Manchester City are showing interest in signing Neto this summer in a bid to improve their current squads.
He claims that Wolves value the winger northwards of £60m in the current market, which could go a long way in them complying with financial fair play regulations.
Arsenal showed previous interest in Neto two years ago, according to McGrath, but the Old Gold were in a much stronger position then as he had signed a long-term deal.
With three years left on his current contract, this summer could be the perfect time for Wolves to sell him on as they seek to secure a massive profit.
Following an injury-disrupted term where the former Lazio gem found the back of the net just once in 21 appearances, a solid pre-season allowed Neto to demonstrate his full potential throughout the 2023/24 campaign, despite injuries taking their toll once again.
Indeed, the 24-year-old has scored three goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions, yet has missed 12 matches due to two separate hamstring injuries.
Among his teammates in the Premier League, Neto currently ranks fourth for goals and assists (11), while ranking second for key passes per game (2), third for big chances created (seven) and successful dribbles per game (1.9), showcasing his true talents as he was one of O’Neil’s most dangerous attacking threats.
Should he leave this summer, the English boss will have a big void to fill. While not wishing to rush to sign an adequate long-term replacement, perhaps Fati could do a suitable job should he arrive on a season-long loan deal this summer.
A temporary move away from the pressures of playing for Barcelona was meant to help Fati’s development, especially by playing in the English top flight.
Xavi previously described the talented youngster as “extraordinary” following a wonderful performance against Mallorca in 2022, yet he has just offered glimpses of his vast potential at Brighton.
|
Ansu Fati's stats for Brighton this season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
Europa League |
Premier League |
|
Goals |
2 |
2 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.7 |
0.4 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.7 |
0.3 |
|
Via Sofascore |
||
The winger enjoyed a solid start to life on the south coast, scoring twice in his opening four Europa League group stage matches, whilst also netting two goals in his first nine Premier League outings, including a goal against Man City.
Since then, however, he has failed to register a single goal contribution, while missing 13 fixtures due to a calf injury.
In the top flight, Fati has created just one big chance, averaged 0.4 key passes per game and succeeded with only 0.3 dribbles per match, failing to really live up to his talent. Of course, injuries haven’t helped, disrupting his season when he was finding his feet.
When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, however, Fati currently ranks in the 1% for total shots per 90 (3.93), while also ranking in the top 4% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.49) and the top 7% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 (6.8), demonstrating that he has impressed with regard to a few metrics in the previous year.
The 21-year-old has already played 112 games for Barcelona, scoring 29 times, and registering ten assists, which is a wonderful return for someone so young and clearly still yet to hit their peak.
If Wolves do lose Neto during the summer, a loan move for Fati could be an ideal choice in terms of filling in the gap left by the Portuguese.
The Spaniard may not be the most consistent, but Neto has gone through spells during his time at Wolves where goal contributions have been hard to come by, meaning Fati shouldn’t feel the pressure.
A temporary move would work well for both parties and if O’Neil can keep the Barça starlet fit for the entire campaign, there is no reason why he can't register 15 or more goal involvements for Wolves, especially with the calibre of players alongside him.
One club's "very elegant" star could depart in a "short time" as Tottenham Hotspur set their sights on him as a new transfer target.
One position to really watch ahead of the summer window is at number 6, as Spurs keep a keen eye on potential midfield replacements for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
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The Denmark international has featured in nearly every single league game under Ange Postecoglou this season, but the overwhelming majority of them have been as a substitute, and this is unlikely to satisfy him after being a mainstay for Antonio Conte.
Hojbjerg could leave Spurs in pursuit of more starts and a fresh challenge, with his contract also expiring next year as well. Postecoglou will need a successor for the 28-year-old, though, and a few interesting names have been linked.
The most eye-catching one by some distance is Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher. The 24-year-old's star player status for Tottenham's rivals would make any transfer to north London a controversial one, but Postecoglou is rumoured to like Gallagher and Chelsea may need to consider selling amid PSR concerns.
If the Blues and Spurs cannot come to an agreement, technical director Johan Lange and unofficial advisor Fabio Paratici have alternatives. Atalanta's Ederson is attracting interest from Tottenham in that regard, but a new name to have emerged from South America this week is Boca Juniors ace Cristian Medina.
According to Boca Noticias, Tottenham plan to sign Medina in the next transfer window and are following his exploits across the Atlantic very closely. The report adds that Boca's star 21-year-old could leave the club in a "short time", amid interest from Spurs and other Premier League clubs like Brighton and West Ham.
The Argentine, who already boasts a very impressive 138 senior appearances for Boca at such a young age, has been praised by big names like former Inter Milan star Javier Zanetti as a standout player.
“From the matches I’ve watched recently, one player who stands out is Medina," said Zanetti when talking about Argentina's rising stars. “In Argentina there’s there is a lot of ‘raw material'. There are always players who have the potential to have a great career. Argentine players always win a lot of admirers because they have the ability to adapt.”
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Everything you need to know about Cristian Medina (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|
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Date of birth: June 1, 2002 |
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Hometown: Moreno, Argentina |
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Position: Central midfield |
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Foot: Right |
|
Market value: £7.6 million |
Former Boca scout Diego Mazzilli was also full of praise for Medina when speaking in an interview with GOAL.
"He had a lot of individual technique, great one-v-one skills, speed, and he dribbled past everyone," said Mazzilli.
"He was very elegant in his play, and strong too, withstanding kicks from boys who timed their tackles badly when they tried to get the ball from him."
Jadon Sancho revealed that he looked up to Chelsea legends Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard as "idols" while growing up in London.
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Sunderland will, when the curtain falls on the Championship season at the start of May, just write this campaign off as a misstep on the way to greater success down the line.
Mike Dodds has failed to reinvigorate a group who were down on their luck already managed by Michael Beale, with the interim boss almost a certainty to step down at the end of the season having overseen a poor mid-table finish.
The team, looking at the future, could well be moulded around the exploits of 18-year-old Jobe Bellingham going forward, who has still managed to excel with seven goals in the Championship despite his team's dire standing in the division.
Staggeringly, when Sunderland were competing with the top dogs in the Premier League, one horrendous flop was earning nearly four times Bellingham's wage even whilst firing blanks for the Black Cats.
Signed under the tenure of Gustavo Poyet – who would only pick up 23 wins from his 75 games in charge – Ignacio Scocco undoubtedly goes down as a major dud from this period that did initially raise eyebrows.
The Argentine attacker would join for a bumper £3m mid-way through the 2013/14 campaign, joining the Wearside outfit alongside fellow flop Jozy Altidore who struggled to settle in his new surroundings much like Scocco.
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Altidore would at least manage to find the back of the net three times as one of the new strikers on the block after joining, with Scocco failing to ever score for Sunderland during his troubled couple of months at the Stadium of Light.
The South American centre-forward would only make eight appearances for the Black Cats, before returning to his native Argentina with Newell's Old Boys as a bad mistake on Sunderland's end.
On top of costing Sunderland an extortionate £3m, Scocco's wage would have burnt a hole in the Wearside club's pocket even from such a short time in England with his wage far greater than Bellingham's own pay packet currently.
Scocco would end up costing his then Premier League side £25k-per-week during his turbulent spell at the Stadium of Light, exposing how much money the Black Cats wasted on failures when still playing in the top flight.
Bellingham earns just £6.5k-per-week in contrast, clamouring for an eventual pay increase next season as his importance to the Sunderland cause only grows heading into a more promising campaign on the horizon.
|
Sunderland top earners – 2023/24 |
|
|---|---|
|
1. Jack Clarke |
£16.9k per week |
|
2. Daniel Ballard |
£15k per week |
|
3. Bradley Dack |
£15k per week |
|
4. Patrick Roberts |
£12.5k per week |
|
5. Anthony Patterson |
£10k per week |
|
Sourced by Capology |
|
Scocco would rise to the top of Sunderland's high earner list with his bumper £25k-per-week pay packet looking at the table above, pipping Jack Clarke to top spot even whilst the former Tottenham Hotspur winger has bagged 15 goals from 40 appearances this season.
Anthony Patterson also earns £15k-per-week less than Scocco, despite being an everpresent member of the Sunderland team this campaign through all the ups and downs.
Sunderland will have learnt their lesson about splashing obscene amounts of cash looking back at the likes of Scocco, moving towards an approach where the promising youngsters at the club are front and centre.
Bellingham could well become even more of a star for the Black Cats if he can steer them to a promotion push next season, whilst Scocco continues to enjoy his retirement without ever really thinking about his woes at Sunderland.
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It was looking like a frustrating night for the hosts before Ronaldo stepped up with his 901st career goal.
Portugal fought back from a goal down to beat Scotland 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League in front of a packed-out crowd in Lisbon, with Cristiano Ronaldo ending up as the hero after stepping off the bench at half-time.
Scotland got off on the front foot, going in front early through Scott McTominay, who scored a trademark goal from a late run into the box to the shock of all the home fans watching on in the Estadio da Luz. Unsurprisingly, Portugal had almost all of the ball following the opener and the Tartan Army were determined to defend for their lives, keeping out 16 shots in the first half, the most they have faced in 45 minutes since 2012.
But their defensive work was undone early in the second half as Bruno Fernandes struck a sweet first-time strike provided by Rafael Leao into the bottom corner to level the scoreline, albeit with the help of some questionable goalkeeping from Scotland No.1 Angus Gunn.
And there was time for a classic Ronaldo winner off the bench as the Al-Nassr striker grabbed his 901st career goal to win the game for his side after stealing in to meet a teasing Nuno Mendes cross from close range.
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Spurs are still struggling for consistency under the Australian, and a defeat to the Gunners could see serious questions raised over his position
"Usually in my second season I win things. That's the whole idea," Ange Postecoglou said in an interview with before Tottenham's opening game of the season against Leicester City. "First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going onto win things."
Spurs haven't lifted any silverware since their League Cup triumph 16 years ago, but some supporters would have bought into Postecoglou's words, because he has the CV to back it up. The 59-year-old has won 10 trophies in his management career to date, including two league crowns at Celtic and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup – the first major title in Australia's history.
Postecoglou's first season at Tottenham was also very encouraging, despite their failure to pip Aston Villa to the final Champions League spot. He brought an entertaining brand of football back after the dour Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho regimes, while also countering the huge loss of Harry Kane with a series of clever signings.
The platform for future success was indeed laid, but just three games into the 2024-25 campaign, worrying cracks have started to appear. Spurs could only manage a 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Leicester at the King Power Stadium, and although a subsequent 4-0 rout of Everton briefly lifted the mood, an away defeat at Newcastle brought Postecoglou crashing back down to earth just before the international break.
Next up: Arsenal at home. The North London Derby is always a highly charged affair, but Tottenham are now in a position where another loss will do real damage to their top-four ambitions, even with the season still in its infancy. Postecoglou has to get a result, or all the good will he's built up could go flying out the window – and notoriously trigger-happy co-chairman Daniel Levy may start getting an itchy finger.
All eyes are on the future at Liverpool, with Arne Slot on his way as Jurgen Klopp ends a legendary nine-year tenure at Anfield. And as one chapter ends, Michael Edwards is seemingly ensuring that the next era is equally as successful, if not more, by instantly turning towards the transfer market.
For a brief moment, it looked as though it would be Ruben Amorim to replace Klopp at Liverpool, but the plan quickly changed as it is Slot who is almost certain to take over. The Feyenoord boss has been fairly open about his next move, too.
That said, Edwards can now shift his focus towards reinforcements to get the Slot era started with a bang, which has seen the likes of Crysencio Summerville linked with a move to Anfield. The Leeds United star has enjoyed an excellent campaign in the Championship and has found himself on Liverpool's radar as a result. And he's not the only one, as the Reds have now made their intentions clear on a player they have been watching for some months.
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According to Bild (via TEAMtalk), Liverpool have put a plan together to sign Willian Pacho, before loaning him back to Eintracht Frankfurt this summer. A player the Bundesliga club value at a reported €60m (£51.5m), the Reds would have to splash out to secure a deal, which would see the central defender feature for the first time in the 2025/26 season.
Interestingly, that deal would also see Pacho arrive at the same time that Virgil van Dijk's current Liverpool deal comes to an end. By that stage, the Frankfurt man could be a perfectly timed, ready-made Van Dijk replacement to hand the Reds a major boost in years to come.
Replacing Klopp this summer is difficult enough, but Liverpool had better get used to it, with both Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk nearing the end of their current deals. Whilst fresh terms could be agreed, both players are past 30 years old and will gradually near the end of their illustrious careers, meaning that those at Anfield would be wise to plan ahead.
Pacho, still just 22, has plenty of potential, and by the time 2025 arrives, should be primed and ready to help fill any void left behind by Liverpool's current captain.
|
League stats 23/24 (via FBref) |
Willian Pacho |
Virgil van Dijk |
|---|---|---|
|
Progressive Carries |
22 |
32 |
|
Progressive Passes |
133 |
89 |
|
Tackles Won |
34 |
22 |
|
Ball Recoveries |
203 |
159 |
The Colombian's rise has resulted in high praise in the Bundesliga, including from Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche, who said via the league's official website: "Willian is a very clever player, who listens well and is quick to implement what's asked of him. His speed and strength in the tackle are what make him stand out."
Now, it is Liverpool looking to benefit from the defender's intelligence, albeit in the summer of 2025, rather than the immediate future.
Whilst change is on the cards this summer, reports suggest that Liverpool could yet get an unexpected departure to hand Arne Slot a frustrating start to life at Anfield in the coming months.
For the first time in almost a decade, Jurgen Klopp won't be the man in the Anfield dugout at the start of next season as a legendary era comes to an end, making way for a new chapter under Slot. And with that new chapter will undoubtedly come new characters and new heroes at Anfield, as the pending new manager and Michael Edwards look to start with a bang.
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Reports have already linked the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande with moves in what could be an ideal way for Edwards to steal the headlines in the summer window. Inacio would be a particularly impressive signing, given that Manchester United and Newcastle United are also reportedly interested, and he's still just 22 years old.
It's not been all about incomings, however, with a new era also sparking doubts over the future of star players. Mohamed Salah has already been linked with a summer exit to Saudi Arabia in what is becoming a yearly trend, but it's Darwin Nunez who the Reds may need to worry about after recent updates.
According to Sport in Spain, Nunez has been offered to Barcelona by his agent, Jorge Mendes, to replace Robert Lewandowski should the La Liga giants be seeking one for their ageing forward. The speculation has only been fueled by the Urugyuan himself too after he deleted social media posts from the current Liverpool season, though Fabrizio Romano has since rubbished rumours that any social media behaviour is exit-related.
As the summer approaches, however, unexpected questions are the last thing that Liverpool need at the start of a new era, which means that deciding Nunez's future should be a priority sooner rather than later.
There's no doubt that Nunez has been much improved in his second season at Liverpool, but that's not to say the question marks over his consistent quality have gone away entirely amid his hefty £140,000-a-week wage. There have still been moments to forget, games that have passed him by all too easily, and moments that he has not stepped up to carry the responsibility of a top number nine.
In among that though, has been plenty of positives with 18 goals and 13 assists to his name. Whether it be his late double at Newcastle or his last-gasp winner at Nottingham Forest, Nunez has shown more than enough signs of life to suggest that a key player could yet emerge on a consistent enough basis when Slot arrives.
Klopp recognised that quality earlier this season, saying via the Irish Independent: "He had absolutely more than (an) OK first season but he had to adapt, that’s done, and he is settled in the middle of the team.
“Wonderful guy, wonderful boy. He loves to play for this team together with these boys and has quality coming out of his ears, to be honest. It’s like strikers are, they score and then they don’t score. Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us. But can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes."