Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas looks set to keep French international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the starting line-up against Liverpool at White Hart Lane tomorrow night in the Premier League.
The Spurs manager maintains that the platooning of Lloris and Brad Friedel hasn’t been a hindrance to team results, stating that “we’ve been shifting the keepers, not on bad performances but on good performances.”
“We want to give them a run of continuity for them to feel stabilised,” said AVB.
He continued by asserting that rotation is both “important for them and for the team too,” thus maintaining a level of competitiveness and efficiency no matter which keeper starts between the sticks.
Lloris having moved to the Lilywhites in August for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £12.3million, has thus far clocked up eight saves in three matches, while keeping one clean sheet.
If the French keeper continues to impress both the manager and the White Hart Lane faithful then it could spell the end for Friedel, with a return to Blackburn Rovers a likely outcome.
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The American international has been offered a player-coach position at Rovers under the helm of former team mate Henning Berg.
According to FussballEck, West Ham United could potentially sign Borussia Dortmund attacker Shinji Kagawa for £11m in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Kagawa is no stranger to the Premier League having turned out for Manchester United between 2012 and 2014 before returning to Dortmund.
The Japan international arrived at Old Trafford with a big reputation, but largely struggled to make his mark in England – scoring just six times in 57 appearances for the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.
Everton have been credited with an interest in the attacker, but according to FussballEck, West Ham are also in the hunt as the attacker looks to leave Dortmund.
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It has been suggested that the Hammers might be able to sign Kagawa for £11m in this summer’s transfer window, although that does seem like an extremely low price for a player that has proved himself in the Bundesliga.
Would Kagawa fit in at West Ham?
Kagawa might have struggled at Man United, but there is no question that the attacker has a lot of ability, and would certainly enjoy playing with the likes of Manuel Lanzini.
This season, Kagawa has scored six times and provided seven assists in 26 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions, but he has been on the sidelines since the start of February through illness and injury.
The attacker has 60 goals and 54 assists in 211 Dortmund appearances, which is a very impressive record for a player at that level of football.
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West Ham would surely have to battle a number of clubs if Kagawa became available this summer, and the fact that now Hammers boss Moyes struggled to get the best out of the 29-year-old at Old Trafford might well count against the club.
That said, the lure of London could play a big part in West Ham’s pursuit, and it would be an inspired signing if they managed to pull it off.
Aston Villa had a rather busy January transfer window in terms of bringing new players to the club on permanent and temporary loan deals.
With the next summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though the Midlands club have their eye on making one of their January loan deals into a permanent one.
What’s the latest?
According to a recent article from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Steven Gerrard’s side are looking to trigger the release clause that would see goalkeeper Robin Olsen remain at Villa Park on a permanent basis when his loan deal from AS Roma expires at the end of the season.
The report also claims that it would cost Johan Lange and the Villans €3.5m (£2.8m) to keep the Swedish shot-stopper.
Since arriving at the club back in January, the 32-year-old has yet to make an appearance for Villa, being an unused substitute for their past five league games.
With that in mind, it seems that the only way the £6m-rated loanee will get a chance to play would be if Emi Martinez were unable to play for whatever reason.
Steer upgrade
Having been praised for his “monstrous” performances on the international stage in the past, Olsen will undoubtedly be hoping to show everyone at the Midlands club what he’s capable of before the end of the season.
However, with the club apparently already looking to keep him where he is beyond this current campaign, this suggests that they have seen enough in him to persuade them to spend some money to trigger his release clause.
As the former Everton and Sheffield United loan star arrived in January, this paved the way for Jed Steer to make a move out of the club for a loan switch to Championship club Luton Town.
If the Englishman, who has only made a total of 36 appearances for the Villans across all competitions and conceded 37 goals in the process, ends up calling time on his period as a Villa player in the summer, this would surely make Olsen a big upgrade for the club based on the significant experience he has, having made a total of 270 senior club appearances throughout his career.
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With Steer failing to make the most of his one opportunity to impress for his parent club earlier in the season when he conceded three goals in their 3-0 defeat against Chelsea as well as only making one save and misplacing eight of the 12 long ball passes he attempted, this suggests that he may not be good enough to play for Gerrard’s side moving forward.
As a result, securing a permanent deal for the 32-year-old in the summer could end up being a bargain move from the Midlands club if can prove himself as a useful option and a reliable backup option for Martinez, something Steer hasn’t done.
In other news: Lange can finally axe £34k-p/w dud with AVFC swoop for £36m-rated “destroyer” – opinion
This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s The Breakdown series, where we analyse the deeper impacts of every fixture.
Conte’s silverware dream shattered…
Tottenham’s imperious 4-0 Premier League victory away to Leeds United at the weekend was the ultimate remedy to what was a tame defeat at Burnley beforehand.
Following that convincing display, one which prompted manager Antonio Conte to shower plenty of praise on some members of the Spurs squad, the Lilywhites’ inconsistency was unfortunately laid bare again in the FA Cup last night.
The Italian’s side travelled to Championship promotion-chasers Middlesbrough as they aimed to maintain a run of form whilst also keeping their hopes of winning a trophy this season alive.
Alas, following a meticulously organised defensive display from the home side, young Boro forward Josh Coburn sank Conte’s silverware dream in extra time – holding off Cristian Romero to lash a brilliant effort into the top corner.
Tottenham’s two worst players statistically on the night (SofaScore), the recently rejuvenated duo of Harry Winks and Ryan Sessegnon, endured unconvincing displays – losing 13/20 of their total duels combined, coming in at an alarming 65%.
The latter man in particular will be disappointed after his phenomenal outing against Leeds and now we analyse what this could mean for the Spurs pair.
Ryan Sessegnon: Back down to Earth?
The wing-back’s dazzling display at Elland Road last weekend, one which drew much acclaim, has unfortunately been followed by what was an underwhelming outing on Teeside.
The 21-year-old finished just behind Winks as Tottenham’s second-lowest rated starting player according to SofaScore (6.4) as Conte opted to sub his left-back with just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Sessegnon cut a deeply isolated figure, even taking fewer touches than any Spurs starting player (42), including goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
He also gave the ball away on 12 occasions, won just 3/12 of his total duels and found a teammate with none of his crosses from out wide (SofaScore) – a far cry from his extremely effective display against Leeds just days ago.
As Conte searches for a degree of Spurs consistency, the ex-Inter boss may feel somewhat aggrieved by Sessegnon’s outing and it will be interesting to see whether he keeps his place ahead of Sergio Reguilon against Everton on Monday.
Described as the ‘perfect’ full-back by former Leeds forward Noel Whelan, Tottenham and Conte will be hoping this was just a small blip.
Harry Winks: Conte’s weak link?
Winks, after being heavily linked with a January move away from Spurs, worked his way back into Conte’s plans with the former Chelsea manager ultimately deciding he has a future in north London after-all.
In recent months, the Englishman has rewarded Tottenham’s faith with some fine displays, including an especially brilliant one in his first start under Conte near the end of last year.
Indeed, Winks’ performance in the 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool attracted real praise – with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher calling him Tottenham’s ‘main man’ against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.
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Ex-Lilywhites shot-stopper Paul Robinson, who rates the 26-year-old and believe he is an ‘amazing player’, appeared to be redeemed in that opinion – but there could now be some question marks again surrounding Winks.
According to SofaScore, the Three Lions midfielder ranked in as Conte’s worst performer with a 6.2 match rating and endured what was a regrettable outing going by the numbers.
Winks failed to win a single duel over the FA Cup tie, losing all eight of them, whilst also being dribbled past more than any Spurs starting player on the night (SofaScore).
After coming in for unavailable January signing Rodrigo Bentancur, questions may now be asked whether the player has what it takes to be a reliable option for Conte.
In other news: Tottenham senior official dispatched as Conte enters pole position for ‘elite’ attacker, find out more here.
While a 1-0 defeat is by no means a disastrous result for West Ham United to take back to the London Stadium from their first leg Europa League round of 16 tie with Sevilla, David Moyes may well be wondering how his team did not get something out of their trip to Spain.
Indeed, the Hammers had the perfect opportunity to take the lead after a well-worked first half free-kick, only for Nikola Vlasic to direct his header straight at Bono between the Sevilla sticks, while Manuel Lanzini also saw what seemed a sure-fire goal brilliantly blocked by Jesus Navas after the interval.
However, while a loss was certainly not the result the 58-year-old would have liked to bring back to England, he will nevertheless have been exceptionally pleased with the performances of a number of his starting XI, with Declan Rice, Kurt Zouma and Ben Johnson all shining against the La Liga giants.
While Rice and Zouma were fantastic on the night, it will undoubtedly be the latter of those three who will have been most pleased with his display at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Thursday, as the 22-year-old ran the show from right-back.
64 touches
With Vladimir Coufal remaining sidelined due to injury, Johnson was once again handed a start on the right of West Ham’s back four, and the youngster did not disappoint.
Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £6m-rated dynamo proved very solid at the back, making four clearances and three tackles, blocking three shots and winning three of his five duels – all while up against one of the most exciting wingers in European football in Lucas Ocampos.
However, it was not only defensively that the £19k-per-week youngster impressed, as Johnson also enjoyed 64 touches of the ball, completed 26 passes and found his man with three of his six attempted crosses and two of his six attempted long balls, in addition to playing one key pass.
These returns saw the player who ExWHUemployee dubbed a “sensational” talent earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.4, with no West Ham player earning a higher score than the right-back.
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As such, while Johnson may not have been Moyes’ first choice on the right-hand side of his defence so far this term, the 22-year-old’s display against Sevilla may well have convinced the manager to rethink his pecking order in the position. Johnson well and truly ran the show for the Hammers at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
AND in other news – Forget Vlasic: “Stupid” £12.5m-rated Irons dud who lost 75% duels failed Moyes against Sevilla
A big Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged regarding Bayer Leverkusen attacker Moussa Diaby…
What’s the talk?
Sport1 journalist Patrick Berger has claimed that the Magpies are among the clubs who are keen on a deal to sign the Frenchman at the end of the season. The attacker is said to be available for a fee in the region of £50m, whilst two other Premier League clubs are also in the running for his signature.
Berger tweeted: “Manchester United, FC Arsenal and Newcastle are interested in Moussa Diaby. The French winger from Bayer Leverkusen (16 goals/9 assists this seasons) has no release clause. Price tag: €60m. As a potential successor Bayer monitoring Carles Pérez from AS Roma.”
Excitement
This update will surely leave Eddie Howe excited for multiple reasons.
Firstly, it shows that PIF are eyeing up players within the £50m price range. If they did not believe that they could strike a deal of that magnitude, then it would be strange for them to be showing an interest in Diaby, which is why the 44-year-old Newcastle boss can feel excited about the calibre of transfer that the club is aiming to complete this summer.
Instead of fishing for bargain deals in Europe or trying to secure loans from other Premier League clubs, Newcastle may look to poach outstanding performers to bolster their squad in mega-deals. Diaby falls into this category because of his potential price and his displays for Leverkusen this season.
His performances in the Bundesliga are another reason why Howe will be buzzing with this news. The 22-year-old has been in electric form for the German club, with 12 goals and seven assists in 24 outings this term. He has also caught the eye in the Europa League as he has four goals and two assists in seven starts in the competition.
This shows that he is able to regularly contribute with quality end product in the final third. He is a game-changer who can win valuable points for his team, as he has proven throughout the campaign with Leverkusen.
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Meanwhile, no Newcastle player has more than six goals or three assists in the Premier League. This suggests that Diaby would be a major upgrade on their current options at the top end of the pitch if he is able to replicate his Bundesliga form in England, which is why Howe will be excited by the prospect of working with him in the 2022/23 campaign.
PIF must now ensure that they are able to beat Manchester United and Arsenal to his signature in order to seal the £50m deal to improve the ex-Bournemouth coach’s squad at St James’ Park.
AND in other news, Howe’s first mistake: NUFC dud who lost possession every 3.1 touches flopped big time…
Aston Villa have seen many players make the move to Villa Park since the Midlands club were promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the 2018/19 season.
However, as tends to be the case with most clubs, not every deal that takes place ends up being a successful one.
One prime example of this happening at Villa over the past few years is with defender Bjorn Engels, who joined the Villans back in July 2019 from Stade Reims in a deal worth a reported fee of £9m.
His debut season at the Midlands club saw the Belgian play in 17 league games and earn himself an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.61 from WhoScored.
In terms of his defensive output when he was able to get on the pitch, the centre-back only made a combined total of 21 tackles and interceptions, which is lower than the likes of Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi managed to rack up, as well as making two errors that led to an opponent’s shot at goal, making him a bit of a liability for his side.
The 2020/21 campaign, however, saw the 27-year-old fail to make even one league described as being “condemned to the bench.”
Villa then decided to cut their ties with the defender during the previous summer transfer window by selling him to Royal Antwerp in June, bringing an end to his 100 weeks as a Villan.
Given his severe lack of game time, particularly during his second season with the club, it’s safe to say that this was not a very successful transfer deal for anyone involved in it, especially Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris who will have lost a combined total of £12.8m from Engels’ transfer fee and weekly wages of £38k-per-week.
Since returning to play in his home country, the defender seems to have found his feet again after a year of no senior action at Villa Park by earning himself an overall performance rating of 7.13 from the 16 league appearances he’s made for Antwerp according to WhoScored, which currently puts him as their highest-rated player.
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A classic case of how the Premier League isn’t for everyone.
In other news: Imagine him & Coutinho: Gerrard must now unleash Villa maestro who “can do anything”
According to reliable journalist Jack Rosser of The Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Championship star Djed Spence has taken a fresh twist this week.
The Lowdown: Spurs linked…
The Lilywhites have been linked with a move for Spence since the end of January with multiple bids apparently being lodged in the winter window.
Tottenham’s attempts were knocked back, however, with Antonio Conte’s side now seemingly set for a battle to sign the in-demand right back this summer.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich are among Fabio Paratici’s competitors, but in good news for the club, there has been an update on his price tag and the likelihood of him leaving parent club Middlesbrough.
The Latest: Rosser shares promising update…
According to Rosser, Spence could leave for as little as £12million – £15million.
The Evening Standard reporter also explains that the English starlet ‘will move this summer’ as Riverside officials grow resigned to losing their promising asset.
Tottenham have apparently ‘held talks over a potential deal’, and even though they face stiff competition, it appears Spence is nailed on for a step up to the Premier League.
The Verdict: Make a move?
The 21-year-old has been a star player under Steve Cooper during his loan spell at Nottingham Forest, ranking as one of their top four highest performers in the Championship by average match rating (WhoScored).
Proving a consistent threat, the attacking full-back has completed more successful take-ons than any Forest player in the Championship bar forward Keinan Davis, highlighting his potential to thrive under Conte (WhoScored).
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He’s already been called a ‘massive player’ for Forest by Sky pundit Jobi McAnuff, and at such a young age, he’ll just get better and better.
For a maximum fee of £15m, it would be foolish not to move.
In other news: Paratici sets sights on ‘phenomenal’ £100m who Spurs have been offered before! Find out more here.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed a huge boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership Old Firm clash.
What’s the latest?
That’s according to a claim made by Rob Page (via STV News), who suggested that, after playing the full 90 minutes in Wales’ 2-1 World Cup qualifying semi-final victory over Austria last week, Aaron Ramsey is now a doubt for the Czech Republic friendly on Tuesday – as the midfielder appeared to be struggling with a muscle injury following the win at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Speaking about the current condition of the 31-year-old, the Wales manager said: “[Gareth Bale and Ramsey] both struggled towards the end of the game. You could see both of them were holding their groins and hamstrings.
“They both had a tough 95 minutes. But we’ll have another night and we’ll make that decision in the morning whether we involve them in the 23. They’re not going to start.”
Postecoglou will be buzzing
While it is true that, since his move from Juventus to Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window, Ramsey has somewhat struggled to reach a decent level of match fitness – so far playing just 113 minutes of Premiership football – it is undeniable that, on his day, the Welshman is an extremely dangerous player.
Indeed, over his 371 appearances for Arsenal, the £4.5m-rated playmaker scored an incredibly impressive 65 goals and registered 65 assists, with arguably the 31-year-old’s best campaign for the Gunners coming back in 2013/13, when he bagged 16 goals and provided ten assists over just 36 fixtures in all competitions.
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As such, while the man who is reported to be earning around £45k-per-week at Ibrox is yet to demonstrate this level of form at Gers, following the news that Alfredo Morelos is now a doubt for Sunday’s season-defining Old Firm clash, should Ramsey also be ruled out this weekend, it will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to Celtic’s chances of leaving Govan with all three points – an outcome that would leave Ange Postecoglou buzzing.
AND in other news: Celtic handed huge summer boost on “outstanding” £42k-p/w dynamo, Ange will be buzzing
Newcastle United have now entered talks to offload a player who Eddie Howe praised earlier this season, with a string of transfer activity expected in Januaru.
Newcastle urged to make several new signings
Former Newcastle man Chris Waddle believes Howe needs much greater squad depth, if the manager is going to be competitive in all competitions, saying: “He probably needs another six or seven top-quality players, and that’s not easy. It takes time and it takes money. Until that happens, Newcastle will continue to find it difficult to compete consistently on all fronts.”
So far this season, the Magpies have struggled to get into a rhythm, currently sitting 11th in the Premier League table, having dropped points against Chelsea, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur in December.
The fixtures are now starting to come thick and fast, with 11 more games penciled in before the end of January, so Howe will certainly need to rotate, but it has now been revealed that a forward could be offloaded in the January transfer window…
Indeed, according to an update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, Newcastle are now in negotiations to sell William Osula to Eintracht Frankfurt, with the striker potentially set to join on loan initially, with the deal including a purchase to option.
Osula is keen on a move to the German club, and he is waiting for an agreement to be struck, which suggests there may be a decent chance the deal goes through.
That is despite the fact Howe lauded the forward earlier this season, describing him as the “complete package”.
Newcastle shouldn't stand in Osula's way
In some ways, it would be a shame to lose the Dane, given that Howe clearly rates him highly, and he has impressed at times this season, scoring against Liverpool, while also finding the back of the net against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.
Newcastle eyeing "fantastic" £70m Bayern player with both clubs involved open to deal
PIF have already had past contact over the forward.
ByTom Cunningham
However, the centre-forward has otherwise been unable to make much of an impact, with his only other goals coming against Bradford City in the EFL Cup, having found it difficult to displace Nick Woltemade in the starting XI.
Not only has the 22-year-old been unable to get the nod over Woltemade, but he may find game time even more difficult to come by going forward, given that summer signing Yoane Wissa has now returned from a long injury lay-off.
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Consequently, while Newcastle will need strength in depth heading into a busy period, they can probably afford to offload the £25k-a-week striker in January, and a move to Frankfurt could be the best outcome for all parties.