Tottenham Hotspur fans have warned the club off signing Ferran Torres from Valencia.SportBild, via Sport Witness, claims that Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have joined Spurs in the race for the 19-year-old.
Valencia are said to value the teenager at €20m (£17.2m), with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Torres, though, has struggled to make a huge impact during his time at the Spanish club, scoring just three goals and registering five assists in 63 senior appearances.
Thus far this season, he has had nine La Liga outings, failing to score and registering just one assist.
And fans have warned Spurs against making a move for the Spain U21 international, with some believing that a move for a right-back would be more profitable, while others simply don’t believe that he is good enough for the club.
Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
At least Blues fans are finally starting to see a return on their investment.
Ivan Sunjic didn’t get off to the best of starts when he arrived in the summer.
Having had a lot of expectations placed on him by members of the press, it’s taken a while before we started seeing some tangible results from the Croatian, like his goal against Derby County the other week.
What’s he said?
Speaking to the club website, Blues boss Pep Clotet spoke about how he has been keeping a track of the Croatian for a long time, and how impressed he has been with his ability to adapt to life in England:
“In the summer the club’s scouting department was working on options for different midfielders. Ivan was flagged as one option. I knew the club from many years ago. When I was at Espanyol under-17s we went to play a tournament at Zagreb. I was impressed, very impressed. That was in 2007 and I have always followed the work they do and their players, and I have tracked Ivan’s progress.”
“He has established himself very well in that position. And I think he is a player who understands this league and has managed to perform from his first day. That is not easy. He is a player who puts the team before himself and that is something very difficult to find in young players. And I think you will see a better player as the season goes on.”
Let’s keep it that way
However, it is now up to Clotet to try and coax as much out of him as he can.
Whilst it’s acceptable to allow a little bit of a ‘bedding in period’, that mantra can’t go on forever.
As we covered in our ‘chalkboard’ series recently, Sunjic is someone that Birmingham need to be building a team around, and not just because you have to justify the hefty price tag that brought him to St Andrew’s.
Given the Financial Fair Play burden that Birmingham City find themselves in after their punishment last year, it was a pretty big risk for the club to fork out in the region of £7m for the midfielder.
Therefore, the Blues need to make sure that this money doesn’t end up going straight down the drain by letting him rot as a result of bad management.
It bodes well that he’s already been able to establish himself but while Clotet may be a big fan of the midfielder, he needs to make sure that the levels of production from the Croat don’t drop, or he could find himself not managing him at all.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to German media outlet Bild, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in €50m-rated (£43m) Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he is the defensive midfielder they need to allow Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to flourish.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Bild report that the current Bundesliga leaders feel that the Switzerland international is one of the players they could receive a club-record transfer fee for, with their current leader the €45m they got from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.
Bild say that Monchengladbach feel they could get at least £43m for the 22-year-old, who is interesting a number of top European clubs.
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Spurs are among those according to the story, along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Premier League rivals Manchester United.
As good as Wanyama pre-injury
The north London outfit have suffered without an out-and-out defensive midfielder in their team this season to protect the defence, with the likes of Winks, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko playing in the deepest midfield roles – the 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures is proof of that.
Mauricio Pochettino does have Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier available, but he clearly doesn’t trust them given their lack of minutes this season.
To be fair to the Argentine, the former was awful when he came on in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last month as his recent injury issues appear to have caught up with him, while the latter doesn’t look the same player that was such a mainstay in the starting XI during the early stages of the 47-year-old’s reign at Tottenham – his first Premier League start of the campaign was last time out against Brighton.
Buying Zakaria would allow the likes of Winks and Ndombele to flourish going forward though, as it is a role he is playing with his club right now.
The 22-year-old is the deepest of Monchengladbach’s central midfield trio – in a team that has only conceded six times in seven matches – and according to Bundesliga.com, he has a pass completion rate of 88% in the German flight this term.
A look back at his stats from this season and previous ones show he is more than on a par with Wanyama before he suffered his multiple injury issues with Spurs, as he averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the 2017/18 season, and 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions this term, as per WhoScored.
Meanwhile, the Kenya international’s most consistent run in the starting XI came when Tottenham finished second in 2016-17, with his defensive stats standing at 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in 36 Premier League outings when Pochettino’s men only let in 26 goals.
Looking at Real Madrid’s summer transfer window of 2019, one could easily spot flaws creeping up on the Spanish giants.
To be honest, many have done exactly that but no one could do it sooner than their own media based in Madrid.
Marca covered their variety of flaws, bashing Los Blancos for spending too much, not covering their weak spots, failing to ship off the deadwood and many more. In fact, they went through all the trouble of finding eight mistakes in total, slamming Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez for failing to finish their long-overdue revolution.
But despite just one Galactico joined the squad in the form of Eden Hazard, he is not the only signing that should bring optimism, hope and a breath of fresh air for the Whites.
The other signing that should definitely excite the Madridistas and Zidane himself is their newcomer from Serbia, Luka Jovic.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt man arrived for a reported sum of €65m (£57.2m) before certain add-ons are calculated into the equation and comes as Real Madrid’s new and prolific forward to lead their lines.
But so far, although he has played in all four of Real Madrid’s opening games in the new 2019/20 La Liga season, he was in the starting 11 only once, tallying just 106 minutes over the course of those fixtures.
By the look of things, at least for now, he is bound to be a rotational player; one coming from the bench to possibly make the difference in that way.
How is that kind of a player, a player not even a Galactico, supposed to lead Los Blancos to glory once again? He may not be the main man at the moment but Jovic certainly looks he could be in the future.
His traits are obvious.
After all, last season, only Robert Lewandowski and Paco Alcacer netted more goals than Jovic’s 17-goal tally with 23 and 18 respectively in the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski is already a well-known finisher, one of the world’s best in fact, and Alcacer had a season like none before, enjoying his career-best spell.
But Jovic produces on the biggest stages as well.
His ten goal-run in last season’s Europa League campaign for the German team was only surpassed by Olivier Giroud’s 11-goal haul as he led Chelsea to eventual glory, which, interestingly enough, made them cross paths with Jovic and his Eagles as well.
Soccer Football – La Liga Santander – Real Madrid v Real Valladolid – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – August 24, 2019 Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic reacts REUTERS/Juan Medina
The goal-scoring part of his skill-set is definitely there for everyone to see and so is his clutchness and the ability to perform when it matters the most.
When we revisit the fact that the last time Real Madrid splashed out on a young and mostly unproven striker in a 21-year-old Karim Benzema, it ended up being a true gem. Their move for Jovic, therefore, now makes slightly more sense.
Rarely do Los Blancos and Perez get these things wrong and if history is any indication, when Real Madrid spend big, they also spend well.
The signings of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo can attest to that. Granted, €65m (£57.2m) definitely sounds on the lower side, especially considering the state of the modern market. But it’s still a huge amount before add-ons and it’s on a 22-year-old striker who is yet to do it at a major club.
It may not sound like that much of a gamble considering how good Jovic was for Frankfurt but with all due respect to the German team, Real Madrid is a serious step up.
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One other aspect the Galacticos likely took into account when they were weighing up whether to buy the young Serbian or not, was the tactical flexibility.
Granted, on paper, the forward has mostly been deployed either as a clear-cut striker or something as a second-striker/ attacking midfielder, just behind the designated no.9 of the team.
But in reality, the youngster can still function in different systems regardless of his preferred role on the team sheet.
It’s a trait that could even see Jovic and Benzema play alongside each other.
A tactical switch that would revert Real Madrid to a system that deploys two strikers up front could, in that case, maybe even get the best out of both players.
The Serbian assisted six goals last season in the Bundesliga and while that may not sound like a sublime figure, it becomes better when we find out three of those were to one of his forward partners in Ante Rebic.
It wouldn’t really be a stretch to say that their summer signing and Benzema could complement each other the same way or even better. After all, the Frenchman assisted 11 goals across all competitions last season himself.
The striker may not have slipped right into Real Madrid’s starting lineup as of yet but that very much feels like it’s just a matter of time, especially with his French teammate ageing.
And once Benzema does eventually move on, the limelight will be Jovic’s for the taking.
Four years ago Manchester United signed Anthony Martial from AS Monaco with his initial fee of £36m making him British football’s most expensive teenager.
Less than a fortnight later the French star made his debut, brought on as a substitute against arch-rivals Liverpool, before going on a weaving run that culminated in Old Trafford erupting in shock and awe. “Forget the second Thierry Henry, this is the first Anthony Martial,” shrieked Martin Tyler in the commentary box, referring to the hype and bluster that accompanied the transfer. “Worth every penny”, he concluded.
Was the veteran broadcaster a touch premature in his assessment? It’s fair to say that he was, because in the seasons since that memorable introduction, the winger has proven himself to be a frustrating talent. A player who only occasionally shows glimpses of the seemingly nonchalant yet explosive ability that prompted the lofty, early comparisons.
In 177 appearances the Parisian has scored 50 goals and provided 30 assists, and there can certainly be an argument that those numbers are acceptable, bordering on impressive. What they mask, however, are too many ineffectual performances that must exasperate both his manager and the fans.
In April, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly singled out Martial after a particularly insipid display, focusing on his attitude and lack of application; this only four months after the player signed a bumper contract extension taking him up to 2024. This summer, meanwhile, former boss Jose Mourinho sharpened his claws, publicly stating Martial was ‘mentally weak’ and that he wanted to sell him during his tumultuous reign.
Reports in recent weeks and months had even suggested Solskjaer’s intention to sell his underwhelming attacker had been thwarted by the club’s board. It very much seemed like 2019/20 would be a continuation of Martial’s time in Manchester. Sometimes he’d be good, most times he would be anonymous.
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The off-loading of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez changed all of that however.
Now shorn of options up front, Solskjaer selected Martial in a central attacking role against Chelsea for the Reds’ opening fixture, with Marcus Rashford coming in off the left. Granted, it afforded Jose Mourinho the opportunity to have another pop from the pundit’s chair, but the reshuffling worked a treat. United ran out 4-0 winners with Martial grabbing their second in a role not unfamiliar to him having played there 45 times up to that point, according to Transfermarkt’s record.
An injury that befell the forward after United’s third league game means momentum might now be stalled. However, when the Frenchman returns from his lay-off, he should take solace and encouragement from the way he has started the current campaign. From those trio of games Martial has scored twice and provided an assist too.
Could it be that a revision of his role is resulting in a revision of his circumstances? Could it be that a switch inside was all it needed for the 23-year-old to possess a real purpose at United?
A similar positional change certainly did wonders for another French forward many moons back, but let’s discount that for now.
The lad has already had enough comparisons to Henry to last him a lifetime.
Mohamed Diame is closing in on a new contract at Newcastle United, according to Chronicle Live.
The midfielder has started 22 games this season and, per the aforementioned report, is subsequently close to triggering a clause in his contract that would see him extend his stay at St James’ Park.
As it stands, his current contract expires at the end of the season.
Diame signed a new contract at the Magpies in 2016.
Chronicle Liver report, however, that he would like to have a longer deal at the club, with his hope being that he can stay at the club until 2021.
Diame joined Newcastle three years ago and has since made 96 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.
And fans are split on whether the retired Senegal international should be allowed to stay at the club beyond the expiration of his deal. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below.
Nottingham Forest caused the upset of the weekend by defeating Swansea at the Liberty Stadium last weekend.
But it was no more than they deserved, restricting the home side to just nine shots – only one of which was on target.
The Reds had to be patient to get their reward, until the 85th minute in fact, when Lewis Grabban launched a blazing run to the by-line only to tee up substitute Alfa Semedo for an easy tap-in.
It continued Forest’s impressive form having not lost a match since the opening day against West Brom.
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The man between the sticks was Brice Samba, who has quickly cemented his name as the number one at the club.
Several fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the 25-year-old’s performance.
One supporter said he was the best goalkeeper in the league as another added that he was the keeper they had all been waiting for.
Samba has now kept three clean sheets in five matches in all competitions, keeping out Manchester City loanee Aro Muric.
A further member of the City Ground faithful labelled him absolutely class. One also said the shot-stopper was a proper role model.
A Tottenham Hotspur insider expects a big U-turn with Steven Bergwijn as he thinks that he will now remain at Spurs.
The Lowdown: Looked likely…
It was looking likely that Bergwijn was going to leave Spurs earlier in the window, and there are more recent reports claiming that he could still leave for Ajax even after his heroics against Leicester.
As per The Athletic journalist and reliable transfer expert David Ornstein, the North London club are also now working on a deal to try and sign Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski, which could push Bergwijn further down the pecking order.
Nonetheless, a Lilywhites insider now thinks that he will stay, despite the speculation.
The Latest: Insider on Bergwijn
Speaking to Football Insider, THFC insider John Wenham, who regularly breaks news about the club on his Lilywhite Rose social media channels, has claimed that he now expects Bergwijn to stay, after initially thinking that he would go:
“These offers from Ajax have been heavily reported and I expected him to go.
“He’s another one, like Matt Doherty, who has finally realised they are already at a big club in Tottenham.
“It’s not just the goals at Leicester, I thought he was very good against Chelsea.
“His running caused two of the Chelsea players to get bookings for bringing him down.
“He looked so sharp, I’m chuffed with him. He’s turned a corner and is now a genuine option for us.
“He actually started as a striker against Chelsea which is really interesting.
“Could he still go? I don’t think there’s any chance of him leaving now.
“If there are any late-window bids I expect they will be turned down.”
The Verdict: Keep
Even if Kulusevski or another winger is brought in before the deadline, Tottenham should still be looking to keep Bergwijn.
He recently showed his credentials with two very late goals in the 3-2 win away at the King Power Stadium, and with more opportunities, can still be an asset under Antonio Conte.
He averages 1.3 shots per game in the Premier League, the joint-fourth most out of any Spurs player, which shows that he is not afraid to have a pop and is one of the few goal threats in the squad not named Harry Kane or Son Heung-min.
Nonetheless, at 24 years of age, the Netherlands international still has room for improvement, and it is simply too early in his Lilywhites career to bin him off now.
In other news, find out whose N17 exit is now in doubt here!
Newcastle United have been handed encouragement over a potentially major deal for Sven Botman in the summer…
What’s the talk?
The Magpies target has admitted that he would be interested in joining the club, whilst also hinting that he will be on his way out of Lille at the end of the campaign.
He told Voetbal International, via TBR: “Newcastle is working on a great project and I thought it would be fun to be a part of it.
“Especially if you look at where Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain once started.”
Fabrizio Romano also quoted him as saying: “I can confirm both Newcastle and AC Milan were concrete options this winter. Both were good options for me. I assume that I will take a good step in my career next summer.”
Excitement
These comments will surely leave Eddie Howe excited ahead of the next transfer window as they suggest that a transfer could well be on the cards for the 2022/23 campaign.
It could be a major deal for the Magpies as Botman has the potential to be a sensational signing for the club in the short and long term. He is a player who has proven his quality at Ligue 1 level and could be an asset in the Premier League next season, whilst he also has scope for development and could be someone Howe looks to improve over time.
In the French top-flight this term, he has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.15. Botman has won an outstanding 71% of his individual duels throughout the campaign so far, making 4.9 clearances and 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game.
This shows that he already has the ability and consistency required to perform at the top level. Meanwhile, no Newcastle defender has averaged a score higher than 6.77 this term, although Dan Burn managed a rating of 6.96 for Brighton prior to his deadline day switch.
At the age of 22, the Lille beast has plenty of time left ahead of him to add to his game and improve as a defender. This means that he could be an excellent investment by the club, as he could either be sold for a huge profit in the future or end up playing and excelling, in the side for many years to come.
Therefore, Howe will be excited by Botman’s comments as they open the door to a summer transfer and it could be a major deal for the Magpies based on the aforementioned benefits that he could bring. It is now down to PIF to be proactive by attempting to snap him up as quickly as possible at the end of the season.
AND in other news, “I heard a slight whisper”: Downie drops big NUFC claim on live TV, Howe surely gutted…
Celtic have been dealt a big blow in their bid to bring Callum Styles to Parkhead in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that Barnsley look set to play hardball regarding the sale of the 21-year-old this month, as Poya Asbaghi recently revealed that he is not willing to let any of his first-team regulars leave the club midway through the season.
Speaking about his plans for the January market, the Barnsley boss said: “In the end, we want to make room in the squad and it’s better to let go of players who aren’t playing – not players who are playing. I will not go too deep into specifics on positions but I can say maybe left-back is not our biggest concern.”
The Daily Record went on to suggest that this update will come as a blow to Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic side, as the 56-year-old Bhoys boss is believed to have identified the versatile left-footer as one of his primary targets this month in a bid to solve the troublesome left-back spot in his Hoops side.
Postecoglou will be livid
Considering just how impressive Styles has been for Barnsley this season, in addition to how well suited he seems to Postecoglou’s particular brand of football, the news that the Yorkshire club look set to put up a fight for the 21-year-old this month is sure to have left the Celtic manager livid.
Indeed, over his 22 league outings in the current campaign, the £2.7m-rated man – who has often been deployed in a more advanced position on the left flank this season, as well as in central midfield – has scored one goal, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates.
The £3.4k-per-week 21-year-old has also averaged 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles and one key pass and won 4.6 duels per game. These returns have seen the player who Cauley Woodrow dubbed a “massive talent” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as Barnsley’s eighth-best performer in the Championship.
As such, due to his attacking inclination, positional versatility and extremely high potential, it is clear to see why Postecoglou would be interested in a move for Styles this month.
However, following the latest update concerning the youngster’s future, it would appear as if a move for the Barnsley starlet may be rather tricky to pull off for Celtic this month, something which will undoubtedly come as a big blow to the Hoops manager and his side.
In other news: Postecoglou heading for Celtic disaster with “superb” £1.35m-rated beast as Anthony Joseph confirms bid