Category Uncategorized

Transfer expert Dean Jones has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur could ‘accelerate’ plans to sign an attacker in the January window after Richarlison’s injury.

The Lowdown: Out for weeks

As per BBC Sport, Richarlison is expected to be out for weeks after picking up an injury in Brazil’s quarter-final loss to Croatia at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The striker has already thigh problem, it has left Antonio Conte’s side a little short in forward areas at times.

The Latest: Injury might ‘accelerate’ plans

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Richarlison’s injury may ‘accelerate’ plans to sign a new attacker in January:

“It might accelerate that need for one more attack-minded player. That’s what I’m told we really need to look out for now.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the North London club are seemingly going in for a new attacker in January should excite supporters.

They have scored 31 goals in the Premier League, but 12 of those have come from Harry Kane, and with injuries to other attackers, Conte could do with another option up top.

They have been linked with moves for the likes of Juventus’ Federico Chiesa and FC Barcelona’s Memphis Depay, so it will be interesting to see who the Lilywhites go for in January to cover for Richarlison in his absence.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s long-term future at the club is reportedly in doubt because of his relationship with new manager Unai Emery.

The Lowdown: Martinez on Argentina duty

The 30-year-old has traded club commitments for international duty, currently starting between the sticks for much-fancied Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

Martinez conceded twice in the shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia but bounced back with a crucial clean sheet in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Mexico.

Away from Qatar, however, the Argentine’s Villa future has emerged as a worrying topic of conversation.

The Latest: Villa exit on the cards?

According to Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey, Martinez’s time at Villa Park is ‘under threat’ because of ‘friction’ with new boss Emery, who recently replaced Steven Gerrard.

A source has claimed that a ‘fallout’ took place between the pair during their time at Arsenal together which could still prove to be problematic, with it being described as a ‘hurdle’ to overcome.

The Verdict: Hugely worrying news

This is undoubtedly concerning news for anyone of a Villa persuasion, considering what an influential performer Martinez has been during his time at the club and the fact he signed a new contract through to 2027 earlier this year.

He has established himself as arguably one of the standout goalkeepers in the Premier League and has also been described as ‘one of the best’ in the world in his position by Lionel Messi.

The hope is that Martinez and Emery can get past their differences and work together effectively – not everybody has to be best friends – because the thought of the former departing is hugely worrying.

Manchester City have promised Pep Guardiola that they will try and sign AC Milan talisman Rafael Leao after the manager committed to staying two more years at the Etihad.

The Lowdown: Talisman

Finishing as the top scorer last season for the Rossoneri with 11 goals in the Serie A, Leao is at it again this season, having contributed to 10 returns in the form of six goals and four assists from 14 appearances.

The Portugal international, hailed by Jacek Kulig as a ‘difference-maker’, has also made an impact in Qatar, scoring in a 3-2 win over Ghana on Thursday. He has become a genuine talisman, and it looks as if a move to the Etihad could be on the cards.

The Latest: Pep was promised…

According to one Spanish outlet, Guardiola has been promised by the club that they will look to sign Leao in 2023 before the manager signed a new two-year deal at the Etihad.

The same piece reiterates that Leao’s contract expires in 2024, with a host of clubs said to be in for him at the end of the season.

The Verdict: A promise is a promise…

The lure of Leao may have been used as a persuasive factor in City’s bid to tie Guardiola down to a new deal, so the club will need to stick to their word.

And with how well the club is run, you would feel as though Sheikh Mansour and co will keep to their promise. As mentioned above, next summer could be the most likely time that the star may make the switch to Manchester, so this could be one to watch closely heading into 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma, has been praised for his performance in the north London club’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool in the Premier League. 

The Lowdown: Defeat for Spurs

Having topped their Champions League group in midweek thanks to a 2-1 win over Marseille, Antonio Conte’s side found themselves on the wrong end of the same scoreline against the Merseysiders on Sunday.

A brace from Mohamed Salah put the visitors 2-0 up by half-time, with Harry Kane’s strike in the second period proving a mere consolation goal for the Lilywhites.

Despite the disappointing result, one man in the Spurs team found himself on the end of some glowing praise.

The Latest: Praise for Bissouma

In a post on Twitter, The Times journalist Tom Allnutt hailed Bissouma for his performance against Jurgen Klopp’s side on Sunday.

He tweeted: “Bissouma really picked up where he left off in Marseille. His best performance so far for #thfc I would say by quite a distance.” 

The Verdict: A decent display from Bissouma

Taking a look at the £55k-per-week midfielder’s performance against Liverpool, he had 77 touches of the ball in total throughout his 88 minutes on the pitch.

Having also completed 51 of the 56 passes he attempted, this left him with the third highest passing accuracy percentage in the team (91%).

The 26-year-old, who has been described by Gary Lineker in the past as an “exceptional” player, also did his bit from a defensive point of view by winning six duels and making two tackles, one interception, one clearance and one block.

Football.London also picked up on the Mali international’s efforts in the game by giving him a solid match rating of 8/10 and saying this about his performance: “Probably his best game in a Spurs shirt as he battled for everything in the centre of the pitch and showed real composure on the ball in cluttered areas.”

Taking all that into account, it’s clear that Allnutt’s praise for Bissouma was wholly justified, as the midfielder was one of Spurs’ few bright sparks in this defeat.

The Athletic’s James Pearce has reacted to the latest injury update ruling Liverpool star Diogo Jota out of the World Cup.

The Lowdown: Jota’s injury

The Reds came away with three points at the weekend after a fiery tussle against Manchester City saw Mohamed Salah bag the only goal of the game in the 76th minute.

Whilst it was a fantastic result for Jurgen Klopp’s men, in the final few minutes of the match, Liverpool suffered a major blow as the Portugal international went down with an injury, requiring a stretcher to get him off the pitch.

Following the game, reliable journalist David Ornstein revealed the 25-year-old was set for a scan, with fears that he may be out of action until after the World Cup now confirmed.

The Latest: Pearce reacts

Pearce took to Twitter to react to Jota’s injury nightmare, saying his ‘worst fears’ are ‘confirmed’ and the calf injury is very ‘serious’.

As quoted by The Athletic, Klopp echoed the sentiment, revealing Jota will be out ‘a long time’ and calling it ‘very sad news’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/https-www-footballtransfertavern-com-liverpool-fc-news-liverpool-premier-league-mohamed-salah-news-updates-klopp/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Huge blow

Alongside missing the World Cup with the Portugal national team, Jota will also be unavailable for the Reds’ next five Premier League games and their last two Champions League group stages fixtures – all scheduled before the international break (via The Athletic).

In four continental appearances this season, the 25-year-old has impressively contributed four assists to Klopp’s side, with three of those coming in the demolition job against Rangers.

With Luis Diaz already out injured for the next couple of months, the Portugal ace was expected to come in as a regular in Liverpool’s front line.

Therefore, with this injury news, both Portugal and Reds fans will be grieving, with the talented attacker missing out on a huge individual chance to shine.

Leicester City midfielder Nampalys Mendy is a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.

The Lowdown: First win

The Foxes recorded a first Premier League victory of the season at the eighth time of asking on Monday evening, defeating rivals Nottingham Forest 4-0.

The win took them off the bottom of the table and relieved the pressure on Rodgers, with speculation regarding his future increasing during the international break.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, and it looks as if Rodgers won’t have a fully fit squad for the journey south.

The Latest: Injury update

Talking in his pre-match press conference, relayed by Leicester Mercury, Rodgers stated that Wilfred Ndidi is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, while Mendy also looks set to be out with a knee issue.

“Wilf Ndidi will probably be out for a little bit. He had a hamstring strain. He recovered well, but it was sore again. He will miss a few weeks. Papy Mendy has an issue with his knee so he will struggle. Everyone else is fine.”

The Verdict: Not ideal

Ndidi started Monday’s win against Forest but was forced off at the interval, so being unable to call upon Mendy this weekend is also a blow.

The Senegal international played two games for his country during the international break but wasn’t named in the Foxes squad on Monday.

He’s had to remain patient for an opportunity in the Premier League, and unfortunately, it looks as if he won’t be able to provide cover for Ndidi tomorrow with an injury of his own.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is facing a nervous wait regarding the fitness of two of his key men ahead of Tuesday’s mouthwatering Champions League encounter with holders, Real Madrid.

What’s the word?

Speaking after Saturday’s thumping Old Firm derby victory over Rangers (via Glasgow Live), the title-winning coach revealed that both Kyogo Furuhashi and Carl Starfelt will have to be assessed having both been forced off in that 4-0 triumph.

The 56-year-old stated: “We’ll see how it is. It was a shoulder injury [for Kyogo]. Carl had a niggle in his knee. It’s a bit of a blow because Kyogo has been in brilliant form so far this season. We’ll assess them after this.”

The in-form Kyogo was substituted just a matter of minutes into yesterday’s 4-0 win after sustaining a shoulder injury, while teammate Starfelt was replaced by summer signing Mortiz Jenz early in the second half with a knee complaint.

Huge blow for Postecoglou

Postecoglou will no doubt be sweating on the availability of those two impressive figures, as the former Yokohama boss looks to prepare his side for what will be a stern test against the mighty Los Blancos at Parkhead in just a few days’ time.

After a five-year absence from Europe’s premier competition, supporters will no doubt be desperate to see their side put up a real fight against the 14-time champions, as the Hoops look to carry over their sparkling domestic form against the continent’s best.

With six wins from six thus far in the Scottish Premiership for the Glasgow outfit, one man who was been integral to that sensational start to the campaign is Kyogo, with the Japan international having scored six goals in as many games thus far.

The 27-year-old – who arrived in Scotland last summer – had previously netted 12 goals across in just 20 top-flight games during 2021/22 in what was a blistering debut campaign at Celtic Park, despite enduring a lengthy stint out with injury.

Although Giorgos Giakoumakis offers a real quality alternative, Postecoglou and co will no doubt be hoping to have the former Vissel Kobe man leading the line instead, with the 15-cap gem integral to their fluid attacking approach.

As for Starfelt, while there is strength in depth at centre-back with both the aforementioned Jenz and Stephen Welsh in reserve, the Sweden international has been a solid presence in recent times, shaking off a rocky start to form an “immense” partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers last term – in the words of pundit Chris Sutton.

The former Rubin Kazan man has already been blighted by injury in the early weeks of the season, albeit while having added another string to his bow after scoring twice in the league already this term.

With loanee Jenz still easing his way into life at Celtic, it may well require the more experienced Starfelt to help contend with the likes of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr in midweek.

It will prove a sizeable task trying to get a result against Carlo Ancelotti’s imperious outfit, with the potential absence of both the Swede and teammate Kyogo sure to come as a gutting blow for the Greek-Australian manager.

Aston Villa have already made five signings this summer and with less than a week left to finish up transfer business at Villa Park, a reliable source has revealed the position Steven Gerrard is keen to strengthen.

What’s the latest?

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, the Villa boss is looking at ways he can strengthen his midfield in the remaining days of the transfer window.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“We know a new No.8 has been on Gerrard’s mind and, as we head towards the final days of this transfer window, I think a new midfielder is going to be on the agenda.”

It’s the perfect move

After the first three fixtures in the Premier League it should have given Gerrard a good indication on where the problems lie in his current starting line up at Villa Park, and adding a new midfielder could solve many of the problems the team are currently facing.

Villa have lost two and won one of their first three fixtures and there are many key areas of concern with the side conceding twice as many as they’ve scored so far, scoring just three goals.

Despite the glaringly obvious far from ideal defence issues with newly-signed Diego Carlos suffering from a serious injury, there are also concerns in terms of personnel in the centre of the pitch.

With Carney Chukwuemeka making a move to Chelsea, Morgan Sanson’s future in doubt and Douglas Luiz contract talks still unresolved, the Villains are setting themselves up to get caught short, so a new number eight could be the perfect move for Gerrard.

Gerrard told BirminghamLive last month that he was keen to add depth in the centre of the pitch and his interest in doing so clearly hasn’t cooled:

“It’s still an area we’re looking to strengthen and we want to challenge the lads that have done well for us in the last six months since we’ve been here.”

“We want to make it really difficult for people to have guaranteed places. We want to challenge every area of the team to make us stronger.”

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if the Villa boss has a midfielder lined up to sign over the coming days in the transfer window, as it could definitely put the manager’s mind at rest over the outgoings and potential future outgoings ahead of next summer.

Celtic are among a host of clubs to have sent scouts to check out Marseille attacker Bamba Dieng, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Wanted man

Signed for just £360,000 from Senegalese outfit Diambars FC following a successful loan spell, Dieng has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in France, directly contributing to 12 goals in 42 outings for the Ligue 1 club.

The 22-year-old attacker has already attracted interest from West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds United after playing a part in his country’s Africa Cup of Nations success earlier this year.

Now, it appears as though Celtic are also among the clubs to have taken an interest in signing Dieng this summer…

The latest: Scouting trip

As per the Daily Mail, Celtic are believed to have sent club scouts to see the 11-cap star in action.

It’s claimed that newly promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest are also keen on signing the Senegalese forward.

The report states that the Hoops ‘see potential in the pacy Senegal international’ – who has been dubbed the ‘new Sadio Mane’ and branded a ‘serious talent’ by football journalist Graeme Bailey.

The verdict: Major coup

Signing a player of Dieng’s calibre would be a sensational coup for the Bhoys given the levels of interest from south of the border.

Linked elsewhere to Barcelona starlet Alex Collado, it appears that the Bhoys’ hierarchy aren’t done with the summer transfer business just yet and as such more incomings to Lennoxtown could be possible

Operating across the entire frontline last season, the £9million valued ace scored eight times and provided three assists in 36 appearances for Marseille, showcasing impressive versatility that would be of huge benefit to Ange Postecoglou’s options.

Sharing similar stylistic traits to such renowned names as Martin Terrier, Ferran Torres and indeed Mane (FBref), Dieng is clearly a formidable talent and would be a superb addition to the Celtic Park ranks should a transfer become a possibility.

Celtic had a rather successful season last time out as Ange Postecoglou saw his team secure the Premiership title at the end of his debut campaign in charge of the Hoops.

Across their 38 league games, the Bhoys ended up winning 29, drawing six and losing just three, scoring more goals (92) and conceding fewer (22) than any other team in the division.

However, one man in Postecoglou’s squad who was in and out of the team throughout the campaign and who the Hoops should consider getting rid of this summer is Stephen Welsh.

With just 10 league appearances to his name last season, the £3.6k-per-week centre-back started nine times, the majority of which came between August and December.

Having recently been linked with a move to French club Toulouse, this could be Celtic’s opportunity to move the defender out of Parkhead and bring in a new figure who could be a suitable replacement for him.

One player with whom the club have been linked and who could fit the bill is Schalke 04 defender Malick Thiaw.

With 31 league appearances to his name in Germany’s second tier last season, the 20-year-old ended up making more interceptions (55) and winning more tackles (45) than any other player at the club, which highlights his clear defensive credentials.

This also backs up why his former manager Christian Gross once said that the young defender has “great potential” in him, which was clearly on show last term.

Despite making 15 interceptions in the league for the Hoops in 2021/22, Welsh only won three tackles, which is fewer than the likes of Boli Bolingoli and Adam Montgomery.

Even though the Hoops have recently brought in another young German centre-back in the shape of Moritz Jenz, Thiaw has still proven he could be a very good asset for Celtic, especially if Welsh ends up leaving.

Should Postecoglou give the green light for the 22-year-old to join another club this summer, either on loan or on a permanent basis, the Scottish champions should definitely consider paying the €8m (£6.8m) that it would reportedly take to sign the Schalke starlet.

Having already spent money on the likes of Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alexandro Bernabei, it will be interesting to see whether the club could be persuaded to get the chequebook out once again before the transfer window closes.

AND in other news: “Celtic were..”: Sky Sports journalist drops transfer claim that supporters will love