All posts by n8rngtd.top

The wait goes on to see who will be named as Bruno Lage’s successor at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the 46-year-old having been relieved of his duties after collecting just one win in 15 Premier League games stretching back to last term.

The current chatter is that ex-Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui – who was only recently himself sacked by the La Liga side – could well be the preferred candidate, with the Spaniard having previously been a target for the Molineux outfit in the past.

Despite the Old Gold’s current struggles – which have seen them pick up just six points from their opening nine top-flight games of the season – any new addition, be it Lopetegui or another, is set to walk into a dressing room full to the brim with undoubted talent.

One such key figure over the past five years has been that of Ruben Neves, with the Portuguese menace having been part of the club’s rise from the Championship to European hopefuls, having signed for the Midlands outfit back in 2017.

Lauded as ‘one of the best footballers Wolves have seen down Molineux in the last 30 years’ by pundit Dave Edwards,  the 25-year-old has proven a hugely reliable figure during his time in England to date, scoring 25 goals and laying on 12 assists in 221 games to date.

Despite the £36m-rated man’s importance to the club – having been named captain following Conor Coady’s departure – it remains to be seen just what his long-term future will be, having been heavily linked with an exit in recent times with just under two years remaining on his current deal.

Having even admitted himself that he had expected to leave this summer, the indications are that a move away could be on the horizon sooner rather than later, with any new appointment at Wolves likely to need a different figure to build his time around.

That individual should seemingly be that of Neves’ compatriot, Matheus Nunes, with the former Sporting CP man having already caught the eye following his club record, £42.2m arrival back in August.

Dubbed “one of the best players in the world” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, the 24-year-old has no doubt lived up to the billing thus far, notably producing a sparkling display despite defeat to Chelsea last time out.

The Brazil-born starlet at one stage illustrated his quality by brilliantly surging forward from outside his own box to the opposition penalty area, breezing past a sea of blue as a marker of both his confidence and ball-playing strength.

That talent is also evidenced by the fact that the £40.5m-rated man ranks in the top 1% for dribbles completed among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, with the aforementioned Neves ranking in just the top 36% for that same metric.

A dynamic asset who plays on the front foot, Nunes has been lauded for his all-action style by former youth coach Ruben Franco, who stated: “Before he received the ball he was always looking where he could go next and he always passed to the other guys easily because he saw the game very clearly.

“He could be sitting in midfield and then in two or three seconds be on the edge of the box because he has a special gift to see the free space with a high intensity. We saw something special.”

As recent weeks have showcased, particularly with regards to his impact at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League is already seeing ‘something special’ from the playmaker, with any new manager likely to love the chance to work with such a “remarkable” ace – as dubbed by journalist Charlotte Duncker.

Tottenham Hotspur wing-back Matt Doherty is facing the axe from manager Antonio Conte ahead of their crunch Premier League clash with Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Spurs set for Newcastle battle…

Antonio Conte will be hurting after his side slumped to a 2-0 midweek defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Spurs failed to truly exert any serious control over proceedings and lacked a real threat in the final third, with Lilywhites supporters now hoping that the team can put in a much more convincing performance against Newcastle this afternoon.

Eddie Howe’s men won’t be pushovers, though, as the Magpies have conceded fewer goals than any top-flight side and travel to north London unbeaten in their last six outings.

Conte may have a few key decisions to make today, and some of them are certain to revolve around his all-important wing-back roles.

The Latest: Doherty facing Conte axe…

According to reports, it appears that Republic of Ireland international Doherty is facing the axe for Newcastle’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

[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 Evening Standard claim that the defender is ‘likely’ to be dropped to the bench in favour of Emerson Royal, with the Brazilian now coming back from suspension.

Indeed, it appears that the latter could actually come ‘straight back in’ for Doherty.

The Verdict: Right move?

Emerson has shown dedication, with reports suggesting he has significantly invested to become a better player in his personal time during his suspension.

However, there have also been question marks around his suitability for the role, with Doherty earning praise from Conte for his stellar outing against Everton last weekend.

Called an ‘exceptional player’ by former Ireland international Gary Breen, we believe that dropping the 30-year-old would be a questionable call by the Spurs boss.

West Ham United could be set to wave goodbye to Craig Dawson once the upcoming January transfer window opens for business. 

The Lowdown: Changes to the squad

The previous summer transfer window saw the east London club make some changes to the defensive area of their squad by seeing Issa Diop make a move to Fulham as well as bringing in the likes of Thilo Kehrer and Nayef Aguerd.

Looking ahead to the upcoming January window, it appears that the Hammers could let Dawson follow in the footsteps of Diop and make a move away from the London Stadium.

The Latest: Bye-bye Dawson?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the centre-back is looking to leave West Ham in January to be nearer his family in Cheshire after a seeing a late transfer move to Wolves collapse during the summer window.

The report also adds that with the £45k-per-week defender’s current contract set to expire at the end of the season, David Moyes could allow Dawson to depart in January rather than see him potentially leave as a free agent in the summer.

The Verdict: Time to go

Bearing in mind how the 32-year-old has only been involved in three Premier League matchday squads this season with just two appearances, a move away from West Ham would indeed be the best option for him.

Even though the Hammers managed to win both of the games that the Englishman played in against Wolves and Fulham, it may be the best move for them financially if they can sell him in January for a fee rather than risk seeing him leave as a free agent in the summer.

Despite previously being lauded as a “special” player by Carlton Cole, January could be the ideal time for West Ham to not only move Dawson out of the club but also potentially bring in a suitable replacement as well.

Liverpool come into their match with Tottenham Hotspur today fearful that yet another defeat in the Premier League could take them firmly into the division’s midfield.

They are eighth at the moment and their hopes of securing European football next term are dwindling. Jurgen Klopp’s men haven’t won their last two domestic matches, with the concession of goals a real problem.

Indeed, the Reds have shipped 15 times, with the vast majority of those coming early in matches too.

Spurs showed against Marseille in midweek that they aren’t always too willing to be expansive in big games, so perhaps that could play to Klopp’s advantage.

However, they will have to take on Antonio Conte’s side without the injured James Milner, someone who has enjoyed a renaissance period at the top level this term. He shone at right back against Manchester City in that surprise win and has even played in midfield again throughout 2022/23.

It is perhaps damning of Liverpool’s midfield depth, though, with injuries running rife throughout that particular area of the squad.

One player who has benefitted from this is Harvey Elliott, with the teenager perhaps staking a late claim to be in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

England are hardly swamped with options in that area of the pitch either, with Elliott’s Liverpool teammate, Jordan Henderson, struggling for fitness this term and Kalvin Phillips only set to return from a spell on the sidelines in the forthcoming week.

A good performance against Tottenham, therefore, could put him firmly in Southgate’s crosshairs.

The 19-year-old is a wonderful technician and has shown as much this term, with the midfielder scoring twice in the Champions League.

Although he has contributed to just a solitary goal in the Premier League this term, it is surely only a matter of time before the youngster finds the net more often.

He has bounced back tremendously from a horrendous injury at the start of last season to become a key figure in this Liverpool team.

Fascinatingly, he ranks in the top 9% of players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions per 90 while he’s also in the best 13% for progressive passes. That shows just how creative Elliott is, with his eye for a pass and ability to pick up spaces in dangerous areas something that sets him apart from other options Klopp has.

Indeed, the very fact he ranks in the top 13% as well for progressive passes received shows how well he can pick up those pockets of space between the lines.

However, it’s not a flashy number 10 that he’s been mentioned in the same breath as, with Andy Brassell comparing him to David Beckham when he first arrived at Real Madrid.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the European football expert once said: “The fact that Harvey Elliott stands out now, of course it’s a lot to do with his excellent form, but it’s also because he reminds me of David Beckham playing in the midfield of the melted Galacticos in 2003/04.

“He’s just so much faster than everyone else. Beckham was like a flying ant in a forest of sloths really.

“Not knocking the quality of the players around him, but no one did anywhere near as much running as him in that season.”
The term ‘flying ant’ could easily be applied to Elliott, who has been running the show in the middle of the park, acting as a fresh pair of legs compared to his elder colleagues.
Indeed, Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Milner and Fabinho are all 29 and above, demonstrating that the young England hopeful is very much the future of Liverpool’s midfield.
With that in mind, the club’s German tactician must continue to turn to the former Fulham man, with his very own ‘flying ant in a forest of sloths’ possessing the tools to unlock Liverpool on Sunday evening.

This season is shaping up to be another dismal one for Leeds United with Jesse Marsch becoming sick of the sight of losing.

After beating Chelsea back in August, this season was supposed to be different for the Yorkshire club but it has not worked out that way.

Patrick Bamford has had his injury problems again and it looks as though the sales of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha in the same window has done them few favours.

They were eight matches without a win before facing Liverpool on Saturday night but Marsch’s men responded to their critics emphatically by beating the Reds on their own patch.

That simply doesn’t happen to Jurgen Klopp’s team but Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville were both on form to take three points back to Elland road.

For the Dutchman, it was undoubtedly the best moment of his career to date and he will now be hoping to emulate the aforementioned Raphinha.

His arrival on the scene has been timely and is rather coincidental with recent claims suggesting Leeds’ chase of Summerville’s compatriot, Cody Gakpo, is essentially dead in the water with the Dutch menace now one of the most feared players on the continent.

Indeed, the PSV star has had a staggering season so far that has seen him register a jaw-dropping 13 goals and 16 assists in 22 outings.

Form like that will likely take him to the world’s elite but Victor Orta could rescue Marsch’s side by identifying a suitable alternative.

One suggestion of late has been that of Noah Okafor with recent reports claiming Leeds are one of the teams taking an interest in the RB Salzburg forward.

The 22-year-old is a dynamic talent and would be a superb addition to the Leeds ranks, particularly if he can follow in the footsteps of Erling Haaland, a man who like Okafor has torn the Austrian Bundesliga to shreds.

There is plenty in common between the two, much more than just the Austrian club, with Marsch having managed them both in his coaching career.

The current Salzburg livewire has made a real name for himself and it’s in 2022/23 that he’s begun to become more of a household name.

He has found the net on nine occasions this season with 1/3 of those strikes coming in the Champions League.

Those three goals have ensured that only Haaland has scored more in Europe’s elite competition for the Red Bull club.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian powerhouse is the only other player at an Austrian club, besides Okafor to score on each of the first three matchdays of a Champions League campaign.

Clearly blessed with immense talent, both players were scouted by the great Christoph Freund, a layer that adds further substance to the comparison at hand.

In the words of talent scout, Jacek Kulig, the young forward is “simply phenomenal” and as a consequence, it might not be long before he’s settling down in Leeds.

Such an eventuality, however, will likely fall by the wayside unless Orta can lure him away from other prying eyes.

Interest in Okafor is high and with a World Cup around the corner he looks set to take Qatar by storm. The Switzerland international is already in “crazy form” in the words of Kulig and with two goals in eight caps, he’s hit the ground running positively for his nation.

Many already know his name but he could truly announce himself on the world stage over the winter as he looks to put himself in the shop window ahead of January by enjoying a ‘crazy’ tournament.

Leeds, however, will hope that he doesn’t impress too much and their pursuit, as it did with Gakpo, doesn’t become impossible.

The attacker is one of the finest young talents in the game but Leeds could be a happy stepping stone for the Swiss. After all, Marsch has shown recently that he’s willing to trust in youth – just ask Summerville.

Okafor should also be comforted by the fact that he already has a relationship with the American manager. He was his coach at Salzburg when he arrived and under the 48-year-old’s tutelage, the bustling attacker scored ten times in 44 outings.

There is so much to like about the 6 foot 1 striker and Haaland is already a shining example that investing in those plying their trade in Austria is a wise idea. Over to you, Orta.

Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal side defeated by Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup during midweek with a much-rotated starting XI.

The defeat probably won’t affect the Spaniard too much, with much greater prizes on offer this term, winning a first Premier League crown since 2004 being the priority, however, it was a chance to win a trophy and continue to build this newfound winning mentality at the club.

With a lack of bite in the centre of the pitch against Brighton, Arteta must unleash Granit Xhaka against Wolves this evening in a bid to bounce back to winning ways.

On the chalkboard

Xhaka has come in for some criticism during his spell at Arsenal but the midfielder has hit new heights this campaign.

Arteta has moulded the 30-year-old into a far more dynamic player than he has been in the past, adding more goals and assists to his game.

Indeed, in just 13 Premier League matches this season, Xhaka has registered three goals and three assists, which is the same number as his total league goal contributions over the previous two full seasons, proving that this transition to a more creative player has been a masterstroke by Arteta.

This hasn’t just led to more goals and assists, the Swiss international has also made 1.5 key passes per match while he has succeeded with 67% of his attempted dribbles, showing he has the added confidence to beat players with ease.

The Spaniard has dubbed the 30-year-old as “phenomenal” previously, while Gunners legend Ray Parlour has been particularly pleased with Arsenal’s start to the season, especially with Xhaka, saying he has been “absolutely brilliant this year” and if he continues his current form, the North London side will be in with a great shout to add a trophy or two come to the end of the campaign.

It may have taken six years, but Xhaka finally appears to be delivering for the club on a consistent basis and Arteta will hope he doesn’t come back from the World Cup fatigued, or even worse, injured.

Sunderland have enjoyed a fair degree of success in the transfer market in recent seasons as Kristjaan Speakman has unearthed gems to bolster the squad.

The likes of Ross Stewart, Dennis Cirkin, Jack Clarke, Alex Pritchard, and Patrick Roberts have all joined the Black Cats since the start of 2021 and are now key players for the club in the Championship.

However, transfer windows do not always go right and Sunderland have had their fair share of disappointments over the years, both in terms of bringing in underwhelming acquisitions and failing to land top targets.

One player the club endured a nightmare with was current Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne, as Steve Bruce once eyed him as a potential signing.

Back in the summer of 2011, it was reported that the Black Cats were one of the teams lining up a swoop to sign the Genk attacking midfielder, who was 19 at the time.

Aston Villa were also said to be vying for his signature but he ended up penning a deal to sign for fellow Premier League side Chelsea six months later, in January 2012.

The gem racked up 17 goals and 36 assists in 113 outings for Genk and his performances in his home country were enough to convince Sunderland to be interested in signing him. However, they failed to land him and have had to watch on as he has enjoyed a terrific career to date.

He moved to Werder Bremen after a short spell at Stamford Bridge and burst onto the scene in the Bundesliga with 20 goals and 37 assists in 73 matches for the German side.

His form led to Manchester City signing him for a £55m fee in the summer of 2015 and he has produced an incredible 89 goals and 134 assists in 326 matches from central midfield to date.

The Belgian was named the PFA Player of the Year in the Premier League for both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns respectively. He was also named the Premier League Player of the Season in 2021/22, which means that he has been voted the best player in the division in each of the last three years by at least one of the two committees.

Fox Sports reporter Keith Costigan once described the midfielder as a “Rolls-Royce” who “runs the show” and De Bruyne could have been orchestrating Sunderland’s play in the top flight during Bruce’s reign if they had managed to snap him up from Genk.

Instead, he has gone on to feature in a Champions League final, win the Premier League four times, the League Cup five times and the FA Cup on a solitary occasion.

Therefore, the English boss certanly endured a nightmare by failing to sign the mercurial talent as his incredible achievements since that summer have proven that he is one of the best players in the country.

Leeds United will be keeping a very close eye on Noa Lang at the World Cup.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, should the Club Brugge KV winger go on to star for the Netherlands in Qatar, the Whites will likely be one of the teams in the race to sign the 23-year-old come the January transfer window.

However, the journalist went on to state that around 12 other clubs will also be keeping an eye on the five-cap international during the World Cup, before potentially launching their own move for the Dutchman this winter.

Regarding Victor Orta’s interest in a move for Lang, Jones said: “They probably will be in the race when the time comes. But, Noa Lang’s got this global reputation, whereby probably 10-12 teams are watching him at the moment, just waiting to decide whether it’s time to push the button and actually go through with a bid for a player who’s got such potential.”

Explode in Qatar

While it is true that Lang has not exactly enjoyed the best campaign in front of goal so far this season – scoring four goals and registering three assists over 16 appearances in all competitions – should the 23-year-old be able to refind his 2021/22 form at the World Cup this winter, the forward could well be set to explode on the biggest stage of international football in Qatar.

Indeed, over his 37 Jupiler Pro League appearances last season, the £16m-rated talent was in breathtaking form for Brugge, scoring seven goals, registering 12 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £25k-per-week attacker average a simply astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as Alfred Schreuder’s joint fifth-best player in the top flight of Belgian football.

The player who Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig dubbed “unstoppable” and Peter Vandenbempt labelled a “phenomenon” also caught the eye in the Champions League, providing one assist over his six appearances in the competition, in addition to taking an average of 1.7 shots, making 1.2 key passes and completing 3.2 dribbles per fixture.

These metrics saw the Dutchman average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Brugge’s third-best performer in Europe’s most prestigious club tournament last time out.

As such, should Lang be able to replicate this level of form for the Netherlands at the World Cup this and next month, it would appear highly likely that the 23-year-old will attract a number of offers in the January window, with the €25m (£22m) valued forward very much looking to make an exceptional addition to Jesse Marsch’s current attacking options at Elland Road.

Glasgow Rangers recently found their replacement for Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst as they announced the arrival of Mick Beale as their new head coach.

The 42-year-old Englishman has rejoined the club after previously working at Ibrox as an assistant manager prior to his first job in senior management south of the border.

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that the new Light Blues boss has been promised funds to bolster his squad during the upcoming January transfer window and this means that Beale will be given an almost immediate chance to stamp his own mark on the side.

One player he must swoop for is Bulgarian international forward Kiril Despodov, who the Gers were reportedly keen on signing earlier this year.

The head coach must reignite Rangers’ interest in the attacker at the start of 2023 as he could be a fantastic addition to the squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

He could be Beale’s own version of the legendary Hristo Stoichkov as Despodov was once likened to a young version of the ex-Barcelona dynamo by Georgi Dimitrov-Jackie.

The iconic winger, who scored 37 goals in 83 caps for his country, scored 117 goals in 255 matches for the Spanish giants and won Bulgarian Player of the Year five times, whilst also lifting the Champions League once and La Liga title five times during his career.

Stoichkov was a terrific goalscoring wide attacker and Despodov, 26, has shown that he can offer plenty of quality at the top end of the pitch, albeit he has not proven himself in a major European league as his compatriot did.

The Ludogorets forward, who was once dubbed “impressive” by journalist Josh Bunting, has shown flashes of what he is capable of on the European stage with one goal and two ‘big chances’ created in three starts in the Europa League this season, whilst he also scored two goals in six Champions League qualifiers.

Domestically, he has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 14 outings this term. This comes after he plundered seven goals and 16 assists in 28 appearances in the league and cup during the 2021/22 campaign.

He also plundered 25 goals and 26 assists in 80 matches for CSKA Sofia earlier in his career and his statistics at club level show that he has the potential to make a huge impact in the final third for the Gers.

Despodov, who has scored nine goals in 35 caps at international level, could, therefore, be Beale’s own version of Stoichkov at Ibrox as his form for Sofia and Ludogorets shows that he could be Rangers’ goalscoring and creating Bulgarian machine on the wing.

This is why the club must reignite their interest in the 26-year-0ld attacker in the upcoming window, as he could be a terrific addition to the attacking ranks.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is said to be “obsessed by Newcastle United” in a big-behind scenes update made by “sources” close to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Seventh season syndrome

In what is Klopp’s seventh season in charge of Liverpool, an old pattern is beginning to emerge amidst the Reds’ stuttering start to the season.

In his first role as a manager at Mainz, the German boss asserted them as a solid Bundesliga outfit with the side finishing as high as 11th in their first season after promotion.

But, it was in his penultimate season that his side suffered relegation, with Klopp failing to earn promotion back to Germany’s promised land, finishing fourth. He resigned at the end of this season.

With Borussia Dortmund, after achieving back-t0-back Bundesliga success with the side and narrowly losing out to Bayern Munich in the first ever all-German Champions League final just a year later, Klopp struggled to push the side on, with his seventh season seeing BVB finish 25 points behind Bayern, in what was a drastically poor showing of their title defence.

Liverpool fans may well be seeing the curse reside once more in what has been a hit and miss season so far.

The Latest: Klopp is “obsessed”

According to a report from Football Insider, “sources” close to the outlet understand that Klopp is “obsessed by Newcastle United”, with the Liverpool boss reportedly asking people about the Magpies’ plans and what they will do next.

The level of interest shown by the German boss has led to whispers that Klopp wants the job when his time at Liverpool comes to an end.

As per the same piece, this has been fuelled further by the 55-year-old’s admission that no other teams could compete with the financial might of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain, with all three sides owned by Gulf states.

The Verdict: Big behind-scenes whispers

The claims surrounding Klopp’s alleged interest in Newcastle is ground-breaking in many ways.

If Newcastle are to replicate the model that Manchester City put in place, they will get the most out of Eddie Howe’s services, before ‘upgrading’ to a manager who has a serial-winning history.

£307k-per-week managerial great, Klopp, could well serve as that upgrade, though that is dependent on Howe’s progress over the next couple of seasons.

Either way, these are big behind-scenes whispers that have emerged.