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Tottenham Hotspur was at least three additions before transfer deadline day on January 31st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, who delivered an exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“My understanding is that Conte wants a new right wing-back, he wants a new striker to supplement [Harry] Kane and a central midfielder,” he said. “Whether they can do all of those, I’m not sure they will, but that’s what they’re aiming for.”

One name heavily linked with the north London outfit has been Adama Traore, who fits the bill as their potential new right wing-back, though Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly knocked back Spurs’ initial offer of £15m this week.

Meanwhile, the Lilywhites could look to seal a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie now, rather than the summer, when he’s out of contract at the San Siro.

Hugely exciting news

Spurs remain unbeaten under the Italian in the Premier League, which already displays the sort of magic he’s been able to pull off at Hotspur Way. However, he needs to be backed to truly elevate the club to the next level.

There have already been fears behind-the-scenes that he could walk should he not get such financial support during the transfer window. Not only is Conte dealing with injuries but largely, they lack the strength in depth that those in the top four possess.

The former Chelsea boss seemingly doesn’t trust summer signing Emerson Royal at right wing-back, particularly in the final third, so it’s easy to see why they are targeting Traore, who on his day is “unplayable” in the final third, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

And whilst the north Londoners are well-stocked in the engine room, it’s believed that Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli are free to leave and there isn’t much quality behind the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skip anyway.

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As talented as he is, it’s rather telling that the 21-year-old gem has walked straight into the starting XI after a loan spell in the Championship last season.

Then there is the striker issue – it’s a catch-22 for Spurs. They need an alternative to Kane but no one in their right mind will want to play second fiddle to him. Although, there’s a chance that Conte reverts to his title-winning tactics at Inter Milan, where he played two up top.

Either way, this exciting revelation from Mokbel should leave much of the Lilywhites faithful absolutely buzzing heading into the final ten days of the transfer window.

It’s time for chairman Daniel Levy to open the chequebook. They now have a world-class manager capable of giving this club the silverware they are desperately craving but he needs to be backed, starting with this current window.

AND in other news, “Tottenham will”: Sky Sports reporter issues “exciting” transfer claim…

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Sassuolo’s left-back Rogerio in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Brazilian outlet TNTSports, the Magpies are on the verge of completing a deal to sign the full-back for a fee in the region of £12.5m (€15m).

The report claims that the transfer is close to being agreed and the player has decided to pursue a switch to St. James’ Park over other options in Europe.

Howe will love it

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will surely be in love with this update as it suggests that his fourth signing of the window is set to be completed.

Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood are the only official additions of the window thus far and Bruno Guimaraes is poised to arrive from Lyon as the third, with Rogerio potentially set to come in after his compatriot.

The Magpies are currently 18th in the Premier League table and could be facing relegation down to the Championship unless their results turn around and they are able to string together a run of form.

Bringing in new players to improve the team could increase their chances of being able to do this and that is why Howe will be buzzing to have another potential improvement to his XI.

Rogerio could come in and prove to be an upgrade on Matt Ritchie at left-back. The 24-year-old has 107 Serie A appearances under his belt, which shows that he is an experienced player at the top level despite his age and can handle playing regularly in a big European league.

This season, the Brazilian has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.82, creating 1.2 chances per game from full-back for the Italian outfit and making 1.8 tackles and interceptions.

Ritchie, meanwhile, has averaged an unimpressive score of 6.66 for the Magpies. This shows that he has been consistently letting the side down and has been unable to deliver solid displays for the club, with his rating ranking him 17th in the Newcastle squad.

Therefore, Howe will love the prospect of being able to select Rogerio ahead of him in the Premier League in the weeks and months to come. If he is able to adapt to English football, his statistics suggest that he could be a dependable option for the head coach and provide quality at both ends of the pitch to aid them in their battle against the drop.

AND in other news,  Forget Lascelles: NUFC now eye late bid for £20m “leader”, he’d be “integral” for Howe…

A big twist has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Manchester United shot-stopper Dean Henderson during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies are now set to miss out on a deal to bring in the England international ahead of Monday’s deadline.

He Tweeted: “Talks have taken place in past 24 hours. Never say never, but I’m told Henderson/NUFC now looks unlikely.”

This came after his previous Tweet: “I’m told there is a strong chance of goalkeeper Dean Henderson joining Newcastle on loan from Manchester United.”

talkSPORT produced an update of their own earlier in the day – claiming that Eddie Howe is ‘unconvinced’ by current first-choice Martin Dubravka.

Fuming

Howe will, therefore, surely be fuming with Hope’s claim on the club being unable to secure the signing of Henderson on loan.

If he is not happy with the Slovakian being his number one goalkeeper then he would have been delighted to bring in another player to take his place ahead of the deadline.

Last season, Henderson averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.94 as he kept four clean sheets in 12 Premier League appearances for Manchester United. In the 2019/20 campaign, he recorded a score of 7.00 and ended the year on 13 shutouts in 36 matches on loan to Sheffield United.

Dubravka, meanwhile, has kept two clean sheets and averaged a score of 6.87 this term. This suggests that, on current form, the Red Devils shot-stopper could be an upgrade on the current Magpies ‘keeper, which is why this could be an excellent signing for the club on loan until the end of the campaign.

At the age of 24, Henderson also has the potential to improve in the future. This means that he could be Howe’s long-term number one and be between the sticks for Newcastle for years to come, whereas Dubravka (33) is at the other end of his career.

Therefore, the Toon could be missing out on a player with the potential to have a short and long-term benefit to the club, as he could have been open to a permanent move at the end of the loan. Although, it remains to be seen whether or not that would have been possible.

Henderson’s short-term impact and what he could have offered to Howe is why he will be fuming with this news, particularly given his distaste for having Dubravka as his first-choice. It will be interesting to see if the Magpies now look to bring in an alternative option before the deadline…

AND in other news, “Rejected”: Journo reveals fresh Jan transfer setback, NUFC fans will be fuming at PIF…

Wolves centre-back Max Kilman is being looked at by a number of ‘big’ Premier League clubs ahead of a potential exit, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Kilman excels for Wolves

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying an increasingly impressive season in the league, winning their last three matches in the competition.

Numerous players have shone for Wolves but Max Kilman has arguably been as good as anyone, starting all 21 league games in 2021/22 to date and chipping in with one goal.

The 24-year-old has excelled on the right-hand side of a back-three, despite being left-footed, with talks of an England call-up gathering momentum.

The Latest: PL clubs interested

There have been constant exit links for superstar Ruben Neves, with recent reports claiming Wolves have slapped a £40m price tag on his head and the player himself even discussing the links.

He’s not the only one being watched though, as speaking to Give Me Sport, Crook claimed there is interest in Kilman from prestigious top-flight clubs, although the teams in question aren’t specified:

“There are big Premier League clubs looking at Max Kilman. He has had a brilliant season at the centre of defence.”

The Verdict: Must keep hold of him

The thought of losing any key players this summer is worrying for Wolves but the potential exit of Kilman could hurt more than anyone else, having been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by former rival Gabriel Agbonlahor.

At 24, his peak years are yet to arrive, and with Conor Coady and Romain Saiss either nearly 30 or past that milestone, he could be the leader of Wanderers’ defence for years to come, so losing him to a top flight rival would sting.

He has averaged 3.8 clearances and 1.9 tackles per game this season, while on the ball he boasts an impressive 86% pass completion rate.

In other news, one rumoured Wolves target is wanted by a Premier League team. Find out who it is here.

Rangers simply cannot compete with Premier League clubs when it comes to the wages they can offer, and that could see Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent lured away. 

That’s according to Herald Scotland and Glasgow Times journalist Chris Jack, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Both players are out of contract in 2023 and rank in Rangers’ top three most valuable playing assets according to Transfermarkt (£9m and £12.6m respectively).

Kent is thought to earn £18,000 per week at Ibrox, with Aribo taking home £14,000 weekly (via Salary Sport).

Aston Villa, who are managed by former Gers boss Steven Gerrard, are reportedly keen on the ex-Liverpool winger, while Crystal Palace are ‘keeping tabs’ on the Nigeria midfielder, along with Brentford and Watford.

The latest

Jack thinks that the players’ agents could easily secure twice the amount they are earning at Rangers from a Premier League suitor.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “There’s only so high they can go in terms of wages. Premier League clubs could blow them out of the water in terms of wages, so Rangers could reach their limit on Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent.

“Their agent could go to a Southampton or a Brentford and say double it and it would be no problem at all. They’d just say ‘here’s your money’.”

The verdict

Let’s put Jack’s claim to the test. Say Brentford were to come in for Aribo – would they really double his salary to £28,000 with a snap of their fingers?

Perhaps not. The Bees’ top earner at present is Pontus Jansson on £25,000 per week, while their top scorer Ivan Toney only earns £21,000 weekly (via Spotrac).

If Rangers win the Premiership, they could net £35m through qualification for the Champions League group stage. That might enable them to hand out some lucrative contract extensions and see off any interest in the likes of Aribo and Kent.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of this Rangers midfielder

After crashing out of the Premier League last season, West Brom’s current campaign in the Championship hasn’t gone as smoothly as fans would have hoped at the beginning.

Having appointed Valerien Ismael as their new manager at the start of the season, the club sacked the former Barnsley boss after just seven months in charge.

Since then, the Baggies have taken a punt and put Steve Bruce in charge to see if he can steady the ship and get the club in with a shout of securing promotion back to the Premier League by the end of the season.

Despite the change in management, one man who has been a consistently impressive performer for the Midlands club this season on the pitch is Kyle Bartley.

West Brom signed the centre-back during the 2018 summer transfer window from Swansea City. Since then, the 30-year-old has gone on to make 133 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and four assists along the way.

With only two West Brom players racking up more league minutes than the defender this season, Bartley’s performances have earned him an overall rating of 7.2/10. That makes him the highest-rated Baggies player to have started more than five league games according to WhoScored, showing just how important he has been for the team.

From a defensive point of view, the Englishman has racked up a seasonal total of 204 aerial duels won, 26 tackles, 31 interceptions and 16 blocks with an average of 4.1 clearances per game, highlighting just how reliable a defensive unit he has been at the back this term.

Hailed as a “leader” by former West Brom manager Sam Allardyce, Bartley – who is currently earning £15k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has definitely been one of the club’s shining lights in what has been a turbulent season in the second tier.

With Bruce recently revealing that the defender will be available to feature in West Brom’s upcoming league clash against Luton Town after missing their two previous league games, this will be a big boost for their chances of picking up their first win since the former Newcastle United boss took charge.

In other news: Joseph Masi drops teasing WBA injury update ahead of Luton, Bruce will be buzzing

Jurgen Klopp is building one of the best attacks in the world at Liverpool – but not just the three players he would choose to start most games, but also including his squad depth in that area too.

The signing of Luis Diaz from Porto in the January transfer window showed that the Reds aren’t afraid to splash out the cash on players who aren’t guaranteed to start every game, as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane still firmly remain number-one choices on the wings.

However, Salah’s contract has little over one-year remaining, and both parties still haven’t made any more progress in reaching a new deal, with the Egyptian’s demands reportedly far too extortionate.

What’s the news?

It is expected that if the Merseyside club can’t agree a new deal before the end of the summer, they will begin lining up transfer targets to replace their superstar.

Real Madrid star Marco Asensio is one man that has been linked with a move in recent weeks, but it is also possible that he may be signed to play in a deeper role should Liverpool press ahead with a deal.

But forward Darwin Nunez is one player that is expected to leave his club in the summer, and Liverpool are believed to be keen on a deal for the Benfica forward, who has scored an incredible 20 goals in 20 Liga NOS games this season, with two of them coming from the bench.

It’s thought he may cost in the region of a whopping £55m.

Tactical reshuffle should Salah leave

The 22-year-old forward, tipped to be “world-class” by manager Jorge Jesus, has been sensational this season in Portugal, and has also made an impact in the Champions League too, where he has scored three goals in seven games.

Though, the all-important question is, how could the Uruguayan replace Salah and would his entrance finally signal the end of their Egyptian hero’s stay in England?

Interestingly, he is more of a centre-forward than a winger, but he can play on the left should he be required to. Though, should the 29-year-old Liverpool star depart, there is only really one player already capable of performing on the right side of the pitch in his spot, which is Diogo Jota.

The Portuguese forward has more often than not played as a striker this season, but in three appearances where he was deployed on the right-hand side, he has scored three goals, which could suggest that if Nunez was to make the move should their Egyptian star leave, he would play down the middle and Jota would take Salah’s spot.

It sounds like a very menacing duo in attack, one that could finally allow Jurgen Klopp and co to part ways with their star man.

In other news: Forget Ox: Klopp must now unleash “classy” £1.8m-rated LFC maestro one last time 

Liverpool are interested in signing Benfica and Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Nunez impressing in Portugal

The 22-year-old has been making a name for himself in Portugal in recent times, having joined Benfica from Almeria in 2020.

Nunez has scored an incredible 18 goals in just 17 Primeira Liga starts so far this season, and his manager Jorge Jesus has even tipped him to be the ‘best in the world’ one day.

Liverpool have recently signed Luis Diaz from a top Portuguese club in Porto and it could be that Nunez is next on the list.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on move for Nunez

That’s according to Football Insider, who claimed that a Reds source has confirmed the club’s interest in the Uruguayan.

Liverpool are thought to be ‘closely monitoring’ Nunez’s current situation, with his current deal at Benfica not expiring until the summer of 2025.

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The Verdict: Long-term regular?

Nunez looks like a hugely exciting prospect, and while Liverpool are incredibly well-stocked in attacking areas, it is vital to plan for the future.

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all in and around 30 years of age and won’t go on forever, and with Diaz and Dioga Jota as younger alternatives, it could be that Nunez is seen as the final piece in the jigsaw in terms of the Reds’ next great front three.

His record this season speaks for itself and he could come in as more of a squad player to begin with, potentially even joining as a replacement for someone like Firmino, should the Brazilian move on suddenly.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to join another Premier League club. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke is likely to leave at the end of the season, according to reports from Belgium.

The Lowdown: Benteke under Vieira

The 31-year-old, labelled as ‘fantastic’ by Jordan Ayew, signed a new two-year deal at Selhurst Park over the summer prior to Patrick Vieira taking over as manager.

Benteke had been a regular under Vieira, missing just one of Palace’s first 22 Premier League games up until the end of January. However, the striker hasn’t featured in the club’s last five league games, sitting on the bench for all of February.

The Latest: Exit claims

Sports Witness relayed a story from Belgian outlet DH on Tuesday regarding Benteke’s future. They claimed that ‘we are likely seeing the final days’ of the striker at Palace, with an exit in the summer now inevitable.

The report adds that the summer window will be the last chance the Eagles have to land a respectable fee for Benteke, who is valued at €7m (£5.8m).

The Verdict: Vieira already eyeing replacement?

Sports Witness name-checked Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah as a possible arrival in the summer on a free transfer, so it seems as if Vieira may already have a replacement in mind for Benteke.

The Belgian remains the club’s most expensive signing of all time and has made 171 appearances after arriving in 2016, but now could be the right time to move him on.

Vieira has green-lighted a permanent deal for Jean-Philippe Mateta this year and also brought in Odsonne Edouard in his first window in charge.

On that basis, should Nketiah arrive, it may make sense for all involved to move Benteke on ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, especially following his lack of game time in recent weeks.

In other news: Huge Palace transfer news emerges as Parish lines up £15m bid for ‘special’ player.  

Tottenham Hotspur officials have travelled to Portugal this week as the club, and by extension manager Antonio Conte, allegedly eye one of the division’s top players.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites eye Nunes move?

Sporting Lisbon midfielder and star man Matheus Nunes, as per a plethora of reports, is a transfer target for Tottenham as Conte plots a major summer rebuild.

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The Telegraph claim that Spurs’ head coach wants as many as six major signings, including two new midfielders, with many Portuguese sources claiming Nunes is a man firmly on their radar.

O Jogo (via Sport Witness), back in March, stated that the Lilywhites have already made contact with Sporting over the 23-year-old pre-summer.

Meanwhile, Jornal de Notícias (via Sport Witness), more recently relayed that Nunes is still attracting real interest from Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici and Conte.

The Latest: Tottenham officials dispatched…

Now, another Portuguese newspaper in A Bola (via Sport Witness) spotted that Tottenham officials were at the Estadio do Dragão on Thursday for Sporting’s big cup clash with FC Porto.

While this report doesn’t state who Spurs employees were there to run the rule over, this midweek mission comes amid heavy links to Nunes with Conte allegedly eyeing the midfield ace.

The Verdict: Make a move?

With the rising star likely to still be on Tottenham’s radar, we believe he would seriously upgrade Conte’s options in the middle and Paratici should spare no expense in bringing him to the Premier League.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola, after his Sky Blues side thrashed Sporting in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie earlier this season, branded Nunes ‘one of the best players in the world’ – serious praise from such an elite coach.

His numbers back up this theory, as WhoScored reveal, with the starlet ranking as one of manager Ruben Amorim’s top five performers in the league going by average match rating (7.07).

He also completes more successful take-ons per 90 (2.4) than any Sporting star, attracting the joint-most fouls and proving to be a real nightmare to play against (WhoScored).

Valued at around €40 million (£33m) by the Portuguese giants and called ‘unbelievable’ by former teammate Goncalo Santos, he certainly stands at as a realistic and quality target from a Spurs perspective.

In other news: Paratici advancing: Tottenham line up fresh bid money bid after personal Conte request! Find out more here.