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Leicester City have received a significant boost ahead of their opening Europa League encounter with Italian giants Napoli.

The Foxes will be hoping to kick their Group C campaign off with a victory at the King Power Stadium this evening, and they’ll be confident of doing just that.

What’s the word?

That’s partly because Brendan Rodgers confirmed several first-team stars have recovered from fitness concerns in time to be available for selection against the Azzurri.

When asked about injuries in Wednesday’s press conference, the 48-year-old said: “We’re looking good on that front. It’s just Wesley (Fofana) and James (Justin) who are unavailable.”

Fofana and Justin are long-term absentees, but the return of fellow defenders Jonny Evans, Jannik Vestergaard and Ricardo Pereira will make Leicester considerably stronger.

Brendan Rodgers will be delighted

Summer signing Vestergaard made his comeback over the weekend, playing the first hour against Manchester City before making way for Evans, who then also got some vital minutes under his belt.

With Vestergaard making way after an hour against City, there were some worries that he may have missed this game with Napoli but it looks like he’s available for selection once again.

The duo’s presence in the heart of defence could be vital to the Midlands outfit’s chance of success against Napoli after Caglar Soyuncu’s shocking start to the season.

For both club and country, the Turkey international has been way below his usual high standards in the opening weeks of the campaign, and the likes of Lorenzon Insigne and Victor Osimhen will provide a real test to whoever forms the Leicester backline.

It should be an intriguing and entertaining matchup between the two teams, and Rodgers will be delighted to have some of his more senior defenders available for action.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano provides update which may leave Leicester fans feeling concerned 

With Valerien Ismael hoping to see his West Bromwich Albion side pick up their first win in three Championship games on Friday evening, he could not have seen his team get off to a worse start against Queens Park Rangers, with Andre Gray putting the visitors ahead in the first minute of the match.

However, as the game wore on, the Baggies began to assert their dominance, taking seven shots, completing 135 passes, boasting 54% possession of the ball and creating one big chance in the first half of the match – albeit without managing to find an equaliser.

It was a similar story in the second half, but with 15 minutes of the game left to play, QPR still held a 1-0 lead.

However, a 75th-minute equaliser by Karlan Grant finally brought Ismael’s side back on level terms, before the centre-forward went on to grab his second of the game with two minutes of regulation time left to play, sealing a last-gasp 2-1 victory at The Hawthorns.

While it was indeed the centre-forward’s brace which ultimately won the game for West Brom, it was undeniably the introduction of Callum Robinson as a second-half substitute which started to turn the tide for Albion.

Game changer

Indeed, having been introduced to the game in the 54th minute, the Republic of Ireland international came on with his team once again struggling to break down their opposition down, a recurring theme for the Baggies in recent fixtures.

However, despite having just 13 touches of the ball and completing a mere six passes, the £5.4m-rated man proved to be the game-changer for Ismael’s side.

Despite a limited amount of time on the ball, Robinson nevertheless made two key passes, created one big chance and set up both of Grant’s goals, with his efforts seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.6 – the second-highest of any Albion player on the night.

As such, the man who Don Goodman dubbed a “first-class” player is largely to thank for Albion’s three points, as despite only featuring for a little over half an hour last night, the 26-year-old stole the show against QPR.

In other news: Ismael could land perfect Sam Johnstone heir with West Brom swoop for 21 y/o “monster”

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to return to winning ways as they return to UEFA Europa Conference League action later this evening.

Nuno Santo and his side welcome Slovenian champions NS Mura to north London just days after their heavy derby defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.

A disastrous first half put the game out of reach for the Lilywhites but there were some positives to take from the second period, and that’ll leave the Portuguese head coach with plenty to ponder ahead of tonight’s encounter.

But what sort of side could we see at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be as many as nine changes from Sunday’s embarrassment.

Pierluigi Gollini should return between the sticks, in the place of club captain and usual no.1 Hugo Lloris, whilst the entire back four is likely to change completely.

Wales international Joe Rodon will be looking for a rare start and he could be joined by £31.5m-rated colossus Cristian Romero, who was perhaps a surprise scratch against the Gunners. They would replace Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez in the middle.

Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilon are both dropped, with Ben Davies and summer signing Emerson Royal likely to be given the nod for some much-needed game time.

Elsewhere, we’re expecting Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to be given a rest and after an impressive 45-minute cameo at the weekend, academy gem Oliver Skipp could slot right back into the engine room, though he’ll be joined by fellow Hotspur Way youth product Harry Winks at the base of midfield.

Whilst Giovani Lo Celso could be preferred in the no.10 role, meaning both Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele are axed.

The only two names to remain from the Emirates Stadium defeat are Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, unsurprisingly, but they will be joined by Bryan Gil, who too looked to have made a difference at the weekend.

He features over Lucas Moura, with Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon the only confirmed absentees.

AND in other news, “exciting” £26m-rated flop in danger of becoming Spurs’ next Adel Taarabt…

Many Manchester United fans have been left gushing over some news involving Fred.

As per Adrian Kajumba (via utdreport), Brazil have now confirmed that their Premier League players will not return to England from international duty early, and that obviously includes Fred.

It means that the central midfield player may not have enough time to fully recover for when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team play Leicester City away from home in the top flight in their next fixture on Saturday 16th October.

A lot of members of the Old Trafford faithful have seen this as a blessing in disguise, as he has already been heavily criticised by the fanbase for some of his performances so far this season, and may not be able to start the game against the Foxes.

Man Utd fans on Fred news

These MUFC supporters gushed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Red Devil even going as far as to claim that they were ‘buzzing’, while another described it as the ‘best news’:

“YESSSSSS GET IN NO FRED”

Credit: @utd_darian

“No Fred tears in my eyes”

Credit: @Zuka91729997

“Best news for @ManUtd fans. Keep @Fred08oficial a little longer”

Credit: @Aliyy_Zayn

“Positive news for us”

Credit: @elvisxxs

“Buzzing”

Credit: @ryanhamill95

“FRED NO MORE!!!!”

Credit: @united_kfc

In other news, find out what official announcement has Red Devils erupting here!

An update has emerged on PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo, Newcastle’s new owners, PIF, are lining up a swoop for the PSG goalkeeper.

The report claims Navas is one of the players on the Magpies’ transfer wishlist following PIF’s takeover of the club from Mike Ashley, with Mauro Icardi and Philippe Coutinho also mentioned.

Fans would love it

Newcastle must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for Navas in the January window as he would be a marquee addition to the squad. The fans would love the statement of intent his signing would send, as the shot-stopper is an established, decorated, top-class player in European football.

At the age of 34, Navas would not be a signing for the long-term, but that does not mean he would not have a positive impact on the club’s future. If they can get a player of his reputation through the door then it could persuade others to follow suit and join the project, with the £210k-per-week gem potentially being the trailblazer of the new era in the Magpies’ history.

Earlier this year, PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino lauded Navas’ impact on the team. He said:

“We can say his actions show his quality. He just proves that he’s at the highest level in the world.

“I think we all saw him tonight. There are good and bad times in football. In a match, you have to know how to hold on. We were able to do that, with the help of our great goalkeeper, who made the difference.”

Navas has played over 200 times for Real Madrid and PSG combined during his career, winning an eye-catching three Champions League titles, among other trophies. However, he is currently playing second-fiddle to European Championships Player of the Tournament Gianluigi Donnarumma, which could open the door for Newcastle to swoop in.

Whilst he would arrive at St. James’ Park with a wealth of experience and an aura of respect, the Costa Rica international has still got the quality to make a difference on the pitch despite his age. He has a sensational 50% penalty save rate in Paris, saving four of the eight he has faced between the sticks for the Ligue 1 side, and has kept 41 clean sheets in 88 matches for PSG.

Newcastle supporters would be undeniably pleased with that.

AND in other news, PIF must secure NUFC swoop for £31.5m-rated beast who is “almost impossible to mark”…

Kevin Phillips has been reacting to comments from Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi regarding his Parkhead future, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Southampton links

The 26-year-old, who cost the Hoops £4.86m over the summer, has made a fine start to life in Glasgow, scoring eight goals in 11 games.

He has recently been linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton as a result, with the Saints setting their sights on the Japan international.

While away representing his country, Furuhashi has hinted in a TV interview with journalist Dan Orlowitz that he could be open to a move to England.

The Latest: Phillips reacts

Phillips, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if Furuhashi could follow in the footsteps of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama by heading to St Mary’s from Celtic.

He suggested that it is ‘difficult’ for the Hoops, who will be ‘desperate’ to keep hold of the forward, saying:

“There is history there. A few Celtic players have made the move to Southampton.

“It is difficult for Celtic but players want to play in the Premier League. They know that. Unfortunately, when a Premier League club comes knocking it is hard for the player to turn down.

“From Celtic’s point of view, Furuhashi has done exceptionally well. I’m sure they are desperate to keep him. They will not want his head turned. It happens though. They will want him to at least see out the season.

“At this stage of the season, you don’t want one of your most influential players being coveted by a Premier League club. It is natural when you do as well as he has though. When you score goals regularly clubs come sniffing.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Not ideal

Celtic appear to have found a real gem in Furuhashi, so it’s not ideal for the Hoops that he is talking about a potential move to the Premier League as a result of links to Southampton, especially when he only came to Parkhead as recently as this summer.

Hopefully the rumours from Italy won’t gather pace ahead of the January window. However, if he continues to star in Glasgow, unfortunately it may only be a matter of time until Celtic receive multiple enquiries over a possible transfer for their impressive attacker.

In other news: Celtic fans could be in line for ‘disaster’ following Saturday’s events

Leeds United could be facing another Seth Johnson-esque nightmare by making a move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from 90min, the English ace is free to leave Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window, and is wanted by the likes of Leeds, Newcastle United and Burnley.

Shades of Johnson

A profile done by Goal, said: “Having starred for Derby County, Johnson was being tipped as the future of England’s midfield, and as such Leeds forked out £7m for his services.

“Injuries plagued his time in West Yorkshire, though, and he made just 54 league appearances in four seasons with the club. His massive wages, meanwhile, are cited as the best illustration of the mass overspending that crippled the Whites during the early 21st century.”

Leeds Live added: “The poster child of the Ridsdale era of over-indulgence. A £7m signing with a hefty wage packet who turned out just 54 times in four years.”

If Johnson’s career at Elland Road could be mirrored by a modern player, then Barkley arguably fits that bill the most.

Earning a reported £100k-per-week, the midfielder just endured a shocking season while on loan at Aston Villa, managing only three goals and one assist in the Premier League – indeed, he had a shocking second half of the season in particular, with no goals in the top flight since the end of January when he netted in a 1-0 victory over Southampton.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Aston Villa-themed 1874 podcast, journalist Gregg Evans said: “He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really.”

And, speaking after he was taken off yet again in the second half against Leicester, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed him for his display, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

Barkley has faced numerous injury problems that have really plagued his career since really making his breakthrough at Everton, and given his big wages too, he doesn’t scream a player who could really take Leeds to the next level.

The Whites must simply avoid a major disaster by going after Barkley.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this La Liga starlet…

After winning the Carabao Cup four times in a row, Manchester City were knocked out of the competition last night against fellow Premier League side West Ham United.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost on penalties at The London Stadium after drawing 0-0 after 90 minutes, making it a disappointing night for the Manchester club.

However, there was one player that featured for City in midweek that we feel was a shining light for Citizens – Ilkay Gundogan.

The midfielder managed to have 91 touches of the ball, racked up a passing accuracy percentage of 95%, made five key passes, created one big chance, had two shots at goal, won four of the six ground duels he was involved in.

He also successfully completed the two dribble attempts he made, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 7.9, making him the highest-rated City player on the day, according to SofaScore.

This shows that despite the disappointing result, Gundogan, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £140k-per-week according to Spotrac, was a big positive for Guardiola on the day.

City signed Gundogan back in the 2016 summer transfer window from German club Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth a reported fee of £20m.

Since then, the 31-year-old, who is currently valued at £36m according to Transfermarkt, has made 220 appearances for the Manchester club across all competitions in which he has managed to score 41 goals and provide 28 assists in the process.

So far this season, the German has made 10 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing one assist. In addition to this, Gundogan has managed to rack up an average of 2.3 shots per game and 2.3 key passes per game in the Premier League in this campaign, proving how much of an attacking threat he is for the side, despite not being able to help City break the deadlock in midweek.

Moving forward, with City’s next match seeing them take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, we feel that Gundogan’s performance in midweek has certainly put him in contention to start this game against Patrick Vieira’s side.

In other news: 2 league starts all term: MCFC must unleash “special” beast with a goal every 127 mins – opinion

Crystal Palace are reportedly one of several Premier League clubs closely monitoring the situation of Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the Eagles have joined a number of other clubs in the race to acquire his signature.

Johnson’s current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2023, and Forest manager Steve Cooper is believed to be playing an active role in the negotiations.

The report states that: “Football League World understand that Cooper is now involved in those attempts and is looking to convince Johnson to commit longer term.

“There is Premier League interest still in the forward, though, after Brentford’s failed attempts to sign him in the summer. Everton, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion are keeping close tabs on him.”

Parish must seal a swoop

After rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, Johnson enjoyed a successful loan spell at League One outfit Lincoln City last term.

The youngster played a pivotal part as Michael Appleton’s Imps reached the third-tier play-off final in 2020/21, bagging 13 goals and providing 14 assists in 48 appearances.

And Johnson has carried his good form into the Championship during the opening weeks of the current campaign, finding the back of the net on three occasions and laying on a further three assists in 15 outings.

He’s starred in a more attacking system under Cooper in recent weeks, and a particularly impressive performance against Queens Park Rangers last time out caught the eye of former striker Glenn Murray.

“For me, Brennan, he just looks special. He just looks a cut above, and he’s destined for the top,” Murray told Sky Sports (as relayed by Nottingham Forest News).

“Yes, he’s not getting everything right at the moment, but he looks at the top-level easily. I expect a really big future from him.”

With Johnson fast approaching the end of his contract, and Palace in desperate need of attacking reinforcements, Steve Parish must swoop for the Wales international over the coming months.

His addition to Patrick Vieira’s new-look squad would bolster the capital club’s ranks in the final third of the pitch and add even more firepower to an already dangerous forward line. Just imagine the thought of him and Wilfried Zaha running rampant with Odsonne Edouard in attack.

It’s an enthralling thought for Palace supporters.

And, in other news…Parish must revive CPFC interest in “extraordinary” £10.8m-rated gem, Vieira needs him 

Wolves fans are delighted after it was revealed by John Percy that the Old Gold are pushing to make Hwang Hee-Chan’s transfer from RB Leipzig permanent.

Hwang made the loan move to Molineux from the German outfit during the summer transfer window. At Leipzig, the South Korea international scored three goals and provided four assists as he struggled to make an impact for the Rotenbullen (Transfermarkt).

As search, he made the switch the England, and he has so far settled in perfectly under Bruno Lage.

In seven Premier League games, he has found the back of the net four times, helping Wolves going on a run of six unbeaten matches as they have moved up to seventh in the table (wolves.co.uk).

Now, as per Percy, the Midlands outfit are looking to sign him permanently for a fee of £14m (via The Telegraph).

The news was shared on Twitter by @TalkingWolves, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what one fan called a ‘no brainer’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hwang news below

“Amazing news!! Pleaseeee”

Credit: @jackthenewee

“Yes yes yes !!”

Credit: @CODxSHOTZz_97

“Please this is a no brainer great player”

Credit: @WolfSomerset

“Absolute no brainier of a deal!”

Credit: @Glaze85

“That’s what I like to hear. We need Jeff to be proactive and get these transfers ready for the January opening. Get Sanches in, get Hwang Signed and let’s push on.”

Credit: @JamesSa36443478

“Good move for the club”

Credit: @wwfc_dg

In other news, Tim Spiers recently slammed this man.