All posts by n8rngtd.top

According to Tottenham Hotspur sources, speaking to Football Insider, a major update has emerged on their pursuit of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Rudiger…

Tottenham have been linked with a move for the potential 2022 free agent as transfer chief Fabio Paratici reportedly eyes ‘quality players’ at ‘zero cost’ for manager Antonio Conte (Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Germany international has been attracting many suitors following a very impressive 2021, with pundit Rio Ferdinand calling him ‘animal’ and comparing him to Manchester City superstar defender Ruben Dias following his rejuvenation under Thomas Tuchel (FIVE, via The Mirror).

Sharing an update on Spurs’ chase, Football Insider have some news on the transfer pursuit.

The Latest: Paratici backed by Levy…

As per their information, Paratici is said to be trying to ‘force an agreement’ for Rudiger in January ahead of the player joining Spurs next summer.

He is also being backed by chairman Daniel Levy, who is willing to offer the 28-year-old ‘huge’ wages to convince him to join the north Londoners.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Out of all of Tottenham’s centre-back targets, we believe Rudiger stands out above the rest, with him being the right age, quality and the fact that he can move for free.

Speaking to Amazon Prime (via Metro), John Barnes called the defender ‘sensational’, and an upgrade on his £100,000-per-week wages is the very least that Spurs can offer.

The towering colossus could inject real quality into Tottenham’s starting XI for zero cost and provide Conte with another option as he aims to oversee a new era and a Lilywhites revival.

In other news: £135,000-per-week ace now eyeing move to Spurs, Conte called him ‘fantastic’…find out more here.

Many Sunderland fans have been left slamming the display of Callum Doyle in their 5-1 loss away at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

The central defender, who is currently on loan from Manchester City, endured a very difficult night against Premier League opposition, as an Eddie Nketiah hat-trick, with further goals from Nicolas Pepe and debutant Charlie Patino, was more than enough to send Mikel Arteta’s team through into the semi-final stage of the competition.

It was a learning curve for the 18-year-old, who lost out on two of his duels, and failed to block any shots or make any interceptions throughout the game (SofaScore).

He also lost possession of the ball on no fewer than 14 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any player in Lee Johnson’s side, and his yellow card late on pretty much summed up how it went for him.

Sunderland fans slam Doyle

These members of the Stadium of Light faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Black Cats supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘awful’:

“Callum Doyle has been awful since like September”

Credit: @JamieSAFC_

“Callum Doyle young or not simply isn’t good enough to play for Sunderland”

Credit: @GeorgeSmally

“Callum Doyle is so poor”

Credit: @Jake_3456

“Doyle having an absolute shocker so far”

Credit: @redman_aiden

“Doyle being exposed all over”

Credit: @KrisCoxon

“I’d call Sunderland unlucky. Should be 3-1. Doyle and Hume should be ashamed of that performance.”

Credit: @stustuy

In other news, find out who SAFC’s three worst players were against Ipswich Town here!

Wolves defender Jonny could return from a lengthy absence as early as the end of January, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Jonny missing for many months

The 27-year-old is yet to play a single minute of action this season, having picked up a serious knee issue back in April, ending his 2020/21 campaign prematurely.

Jonny may not necessarily have been a huge miss in this campaign, due to the emergence of Rayan Ait-Nouri, but having him back will still be a major shot in the arm for a team on the fringes of challenging for European football.

The left-back is continuing to work hard on his recovery and it looks as though his return could be in sight.

The Latest: Expert provides positive update

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery claimed Jonny could even be back in the fold at the end of next month, also hailing his recovery ability:

“This was a difficult one. It was a recurrence of his ACL rupture in his right knee. It was his ACL and MCL this time around.

“The initial setback put him out for around six months. At the turn of this year, it will have been around eight months for this injury.

“I would err on the side of caution and add that extra month, so it will have been nine months. We know a return before that nine-month period means your chances of a recurrence are enhanced significantly.

“They reduce month on month by about 50 per cent. The longer you can leave these things, the better it is.  We know he is a quick healer. To return after six months from his first injury was pretty remarkable.

“He looks well on schedule. We are maybe looking at the end of January or the beginning of February based on what we know.”

The Verdict: Huge boost for Wolves

Jonny is a popular figure at Molineux and having him fit again will feel massive for Bruno Lage, suddenly strengthening his squad options in the second half of the season.

The Spaniard has 95 Wolves appearances to his name and was averaging 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the league last season before his injury setback.

He could battle Ait-Nouri for that starting left-back spot, although it is vital that he isn’t rushed back, given his injury history and the importance of looking at the long-term picture.

In other news, a pundit has talked up one Wolves hero’s potential exit. Find out who it is here.

Speaking live on Sky Sports (via Football Daily), reporter Rob Dorsett has shared some ‘breaking’ Tottenham Hotspur transfer news involving Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Coutinho move?

According to some reports over this last week, the La Liga attacker is firmly on Tottenham’s radar as transfer chief Fabio Paratici aims to back manager Antonio Conte in the winter market.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, Mundo Deportivo first claimed that the Brazil international ‘would choose’ a move to north London over fellow suitors Newcastle United.

Soon after, El Nacional shared an update that Spurs are willing to table a £16.7 million bid to sign Coutinho this month as Barca president Joan Laporta seeks a buyer, even adding that the Catalan giants may be forced to cash in due to their financial troubles and the fact nobody will meet their asking price.

The Latest: Sky reporter shares live TV news…

Now, as per Dorsett, speaking on Sky Sports (via Football Daily), there has been an update as the reliable broadcaster’s journalist backs Tottenham’s interest with what he’s been told on Thursday.

Shedding light on the alleged six Premier League sides eyeing a move for the 29-year-old, he explained:

“A bit of breaking news for you, if you like, we’re still checking this one out, but Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle I’ve been told this morning are three clubs amongst those six that are also interested in Philippe Coutinho.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

It is no secret that Spurs have missed Christian Eriksen’s influence as a playmaker since his 2020 departure to Inter, so it is no surprise to us that the Lilywhites are weighing Coutinho.

The South American is a proven player in the English top flight, having enjoyed a prolific spell at Liverpool before his switch to La Liga, and we believe he could genuinely be an astute purchase depending on Barca’s and Coutinho’s demands.

His £380,000-per-week wages could be a stumbling block but Laporta’s eagerness to shift the player could gift Tottenham an advantage in negotiations as they have already been linked with a cut price offer.

This will certainly be interesting to follow but, if Paratici can get it done, it would be a real boost for Conte, adding a player who has racked up 41 goals and 37 assists in 152 previous Premier League appearances.

In other news: ‘Expect an announcement’…Insider hopeful of big Tottenham news in ‘the next few days’, find out more here.

West Ham United have made an offer in a bid to bring James Tarkowski to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider revealing on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast that David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team are very much interested in a deal for the England international this month.

They are even thought to have launched an offer of around £7m-£8m in a bid to test the waters with Burnley regarding the sale of the centre-back.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the 29-year-old, Ex said: “We definitely want him. Moyes is definitely interested in him. We bid £30m for him in the summer, we definitely are interested now. I think we might have even put in a £7m or £8m bid already, just to test the water.

“However, there’s no rush to sign him as such. I mean, I know there is in the sense that we’ve got games and the Europa League and the FA Cup to compete for, but in terms of the bigger picture, he’s a free transfer in the summer.”

Moyes desperately needs him

While Kurt Zouma looks as if he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained towards the beginning of December, the fact remains that West Ham will be without the services of Angelo Ogbonna for the remainder of the season.

That means that, should Moyes wish to give his side the best possible chance of securing Champions League football at the London Stadium next season, the 58-year-old simply must sign a new centre-back this January.

It would appear as if this is an opinion the manager himself agrees with, with the Scot recently stating: “We could probably do with some more cover after Angelo Ogbonna’s season-long injury. If I can get Kurt back quickly that eases the pressure in central defensive areas. But we are always looking to strengthen here, we are always looking to find players who can help us or improve us.”

And, considering just how impressive Tarkowski has been for Burnley so far this season, the 29-year-old would appear to make a fantastic addition to Moyes’ current options in the heart of his West Ham defence.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League outings in the current campaign, the £19.8m-rated defender has helped his side keep two clean sheets, scored one goal and registered two assists, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 5.1 clearances and winning 7.3 of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £70k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Sean Dyche’s second-best performer in the league this season.

As such, while the early return of Zouma will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to West Ham’s top-four hopes, it is undeniable that Moyes desperately needs a fresh face at centre-back if he is to break into the Champions League places this season, with the player who Dyche dubbed an “outstanding” talent appearing to be an excellent option for the Hammers.

In other news: Moyes identifies £43k-p/w “monster” as new Newman target, he could be WHU’s next Payet

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s transfer pursuit of Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata…

What’s the talk?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Magpies have already agreed personal terms with the centre-forward, to whom they are willing to offer a salary of €6.5m (£5.4m) per season.

The report claims that the Tyneside club will be able to snap him up from Atalanta if they pay €40m (£33.4m) up front and sign him on a permanent deal in the current transfer window rather than on an initial loan.

Masterstroke

Newcastle could seal a masterstroke this month by securing a deal to sign Zapata from the Serie A club, as he could save the Magpies’ season.

He is a proven goalscorer at the top level and is a multi-faceted forward who could offer a big threat for Eddie Howe’s side at the top end of the pitch. His vast skill set could make him a danger to opposition defences and he has the physical strength to endure the relentless nature of Premier League football.

His former teammate Papu Gomez previously hailed his physique, saying: “Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big. Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!’”

This suggests that the 30-year-old will not be bullied by Premier League defenders and will be able to hold his own in individual duels. Therefore, there should be no concerns that he will be too lightweight for the English top flight, which means that his technical ability could be shown in full view.

In 152 games for Atalanta, he has scored 78 goals and provided 38 assists. This shows that he is an all-round centre-forward who can find the back of the net himself whilst also linking the play for others to allow his team-mates to score through his creative nous as the number nine.

Zapata has scored 35 headers, 52 goals with his right foot and 16 with his left foot, showing that he can find the net in a variety of ways whilst playing at the top level in Italy. This suggests that he could be a major asset for Newcastle and a terrific signing for Howe’s team, which is why PIF could land a masterclass if they can bring him to the club in the coming days.

AND in other news, NUFC could find the “next Paul Gascoigne” as PIF plot bid for £25m “freak of a talent”…

Craig Hope has revealed the latest on Newcastle United’s reported pursuit of Diego Carlos in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Carlos ‘keen’

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern last week, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie revealed that Carlos is now personally ‘keen’ on a move to St. James’ Park, but claimed that Sevilla ‘hold the aces’ when it comes to a potential deal this month.

Nonetheless, it is a story that looks set to develop further in the coming days, with another big game at the bottom of the Premier League table against Leeds United coming up on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Transfer request

As per The Daily Mail journalist Hope, the Magpies have still not had an offer accepted for Carlos, but he has now handed in a transfer request at Sevilla.

The Toon are hoping that they can do a deal with the La Liga side in the region of £30m:

“I’m told NUFC have not yet had an offer accepted for Diego Carlos but, as per reports, he has submitted a transfer request to Sevilla.

“Hope is for a deal in region of £30m.”

The Verdict: Get it done

After the disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Watford last weekend, the North East club cannot afford for the days to go by before they bring in a new central defender.

Carlos seems to be the strongest link, and if a deal for £30m can be done, it is well worth doing – the six-foot-one Brazilian is currently rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, and so could present a real bargain.

Nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, Carlos is exactly the kind of character needed to shore up the backline, and at 28 years of age, the Tyneside outfit will be buying a player in his prime.

La Liga expert Kevin Campbell claims Carlos is ‘amazing’ and ‘right up Newcastle’s street’ (Football Insider), while European football expert Andy Brassell says Carlos is a ‘real leader at the back’ (Express).

Nonetheless, this is a deal the Magpies cannot allow to slip through their fingers.

In other news, find out which ‘tenacious’ Carlos alternative NUFC are now in talks to sign here!

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some international news involving Yerry Mina.

As shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter page, the central defender will now miss Colombia’s FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Argentina on Tuesday due to suspension, after he picked up a yellow card in their most recent qualifier in the 1-0 loss against Peru.

It means that Mina should now be able to return to Goodison Park, with their next league fixture not coming until Tuesday 8th February away to Newcastle United, three days after an FA Cup clash with Brentford next weekend.

This should give the the 27-year-old enough time to complete any necessary health protocols and recover for the clash, which would have been a doubt had he been able to face Argentina.

The Toffees have only lost three games in the top flight so far this term when he has played, and so having him back would be a big boost.

Everton fans on Mina news

These supporters of the Merseyside club buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one calling it ‘great’:

“The news just gets better and better this late Friday evening”

Credit: @maynard_hanna

“God is an @Everton supporter and knows we need him!”

Credit: @MistopherGuy

“That’s great news for us may come back fresher”

Credit: @ruben_holman

“Yessssss healthy for Brentford”

Credit: @SilentBlueGiant

“What a day.”

Credit: @lewissefc

“Praise the lord”

Credit: @dh_2__

In other news, find out what transfer update has Blues fuming here!

Everton will return to action today at Goodison Park hosting Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round, with newly appointed manager Frank Lampard leading his first starting eleven out in front of the home fans.

There are a number of injuries to take into consideration, with both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph confirmed to be out for at least a month in a club statement and in his pre-match press conference the new Toffees boss has revealed the first blow to his squad as Dominic Calvert-Lewin has picked up a knock and won’t be available for the game this afternoon.

Lampard also faces another blow to his squad, as both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli remain cup tied, but it could be a blessing in disguise as they will be raring to go when the side take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Lampard to line up his first team against Brentford…

We expect to see four changes from Duncan Ferguson’s line up that lost to Aston Villa in the Premier League before the winter break, with Jonjoe Kenny axed from the side in place of youngster, Nathan Patterson.

Patterson, who was hailed “amazing” by his Scotland team mate Che Adams, could make his debut in the first team for Everton today after he was spotted in Lampard’s initial training sessions this week.

This could be the perfect opportunity for the 20 year old to make his mark on the team and make a good first impression on his new manager, who is renowned for developing and giving debuts to young players with potential.

We predict that due to the two cup tied new signings being unavailable, Andre Gomes will play alongside Allan in the deeper midfield roles to cover for Doucoure’s absence through injury and Anthony Gordon will take the 10 role behind Richarlison who is pushed up front in place of an injured Calvert-Lewin.

This season’s joint top goal scorers for the Toffees so far, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray, are expected to be on hand to link up with Richarlison to seal goals and cause problems for the Brentford defence today.

Lampard will be hoping he can give something to the fans that they can be happy about after a number of protests took place just before his arrival and progressing in the domestic competition could really help to build confidence in the players going forward ahead of important must win Premier League games, where they need to pick up points to avoid a relegation battle.

In other news: Lampard must unleash Anthony Gordon against Brentford

Selling Kyle Walker-Peters may be proving to be one of chairman Daniel Levy’s greatest mistakes at Tottenham Hotspur in recent years.

The Spurs supremo sanctioned his exit to Southampton as a part of a deal to send Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the other direction back in the summer of 2020.

He had enjoyed a six-month loan spell at St Mary’s prior to the move and then-manager Jose Mourinho was really keen to sign the Danish midfielder.

Hojbjerg was signed for £15m, whilst the Lilywhites raked in £12m for their former youth graduate, meaning there was only an outlay of £3m, per the BBC.

At the time it looked to be a stroke of genius from Levy, but that is really not looking to be the case now.

How’s he getting on?

In midweek, the Saints enjoyed a stunning come-from-behind victory over Spurs and Walker-Peters provided the north Londoners with a timely reminder of what they’re missing out on.

The 24-year-old was tasked with keeping left wing-back Sergio Reguilon quiet, which is something he did to a tee, having managed two clearances, one tackle and three ground duels won, via SofaScore.

He has really stood out at Southampton, where he has emerged as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-choice right-back.

Of all the players to have started 13 or more matches this season, Walker-Peters ranks sixth in his squad.

He has averaged 1.9 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match, proving to be solid defensively, whilst also getting forward to contribute in the final third, where he has managed 1.5 dribbles and 0.9 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

The Saints head coach dubbed the right-back a “role model” who “knows what he has to do on the ball” and is a “complete” package. Meanwhile, club legend Jason Dodd likened him to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“He’s a modern-day full-back like Trent Alexander-Arnold. He’s great going forward, he’s quick, defensively that I like, in one vs ones there’s probably not too many people getting by him,” he told Love Sport Radio.

Spurs’ right-back nightmare

Tottenham have long had a problem in the right-back role, dating back to the sale of Kyle Walker to Manchester City in July 2017. Soon after that, Kieran Trippier left for Atletico Madrid and it’s been an ongoing nightmare ever since.

Serge Aurier, Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and now Emerson Royal have struggled to make their mark in the position.

It’s awfully telling that new manager Antonio Conte was reportedly desperate to sign a new right wing-back during the January transfer window, despite the Brazil international only joining in the summer.

That’s because he has little faith in the 23-year-old, who had a devastating role to play in all three of the Saints’ goals on Wednesday night.

His influence in the final third is poor, whilst defensively he has started to look a little suspect. A stark contrast to that of Walker-Peters, who has been a very reliable option down on the south coast over the last season or two.

As such, Levy’s biggest mistake in recent times may not have been the club-record signing of Tanguy Ndombele, who departed on loan last month, but rather his premature decision to offload a young player with bags of potential.

The £18m-rated dynamo is a much better option than anything Spurs have right now.

AND in other news, £20.6m down the drain: Spurs flop has been draining Levy’s bank account for 76 weeks…