All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies has been backed to remain in north London by pundit Frank McAvennie. 

The Lowdown: Davies’ season so far

This season has seen the defender make 17 appearances for the north London club across all competitions, starting 14 of them.

Then in the current World Cup, Davies has completed the full 90 minutes in both of Wales’ group games against the USA and Iran, showing how important he is for his country.

Having been such a prominent figure for club and country so far this season, one pundit has touted Spurs to keep hold of the defender once the upcoming January transfer window opens for business.

The Latest: Spurs backed to keep hold of Davies

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie doesn’t think Davies will be going anywhere, describing him as ‘absolutely priceless’ and someone who is ‘having a decent World Cup’.

“He’s a solid enough player but is he good enough for Tottenham?

“Antonio Conte starts him every week so there must be something there. He always looks good when I have seen him even if he isn’t getting man of the match every weekend.

“Can Tottenham do better? Maybe. The fans seem to love him and he is a cool, calm head who has been at the club for so long now.

“He will be an idol to the kids breaking into the team and he will help new players feel at home. Having someone like that at the club is absolutely priceless.

“They need to move on some players on in January but Davies won’t be one of them. He is so important. He’s having a decent World Cup too which is nice to see although I think he will be back with Tottenham pretty soon.”

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

The Verdict: Useful player

Across the 12 league games that Davies has played in for Spurs this season, the defender has scored two goals and delivered one assist.

In addition to that, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (83) has made more passes into the final third of the pitch than Davies (47).

In terms of his defensive efforts, as well as racking up a combined total of 20 tackles and interceptions, only Eric Dier (47) has made more clearances than the 29-year-old (28).

This shows how much of a useful figure he has been for Spurs at the back and why we feel that they shouldn’t consider letting go of him in 2023.

Aston Villa could finally bin Frenchman Morgan Sanson by making a move for Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie in the summer transfer window.

The £45k-per-week Villa player has featured just 21 times for the club since joining from Marseille in 2021 and with Unai Emery looking at putting his own stamp on the team, it’s highly likely he will be moved on sooner rather than later.

Kessie left AC Milan for the La Liga giants in the summer on a free transfer but now wants a move due to a lack of game time in Spain.

His agent is reportedly pushing for a move to the Premier League, with Villa keen on signing the midfielder to bolster their options in the middle of the pitch.

CIES Football Observatory value Kessie at around €60m (£52m) but in light of Barca’s financial trouble, Villa could be willing to offer up to €14m (£12m) for the player, meaning it could be an excellent piece of business for the club if they can reach an agreement close to that price.

Last season in Serie A, the 25-year-old played an integral part in Milan’s team as they were crowned champions for the first time in 11 years.

He played 31 matches, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.07/10, all while chipping in with six goals. The Ivorian also made 0.9 key passes per match, created a further two big chances, and succeeded with 73% of his dribble attempts, proving that he can be an excellent attacking threat from the centre of the park.

Former Italy striker Antonio Cassano clearly liked what he saw last season, lavishing praise on Kessie on Bobo TV, saying: “I want Kessie in my team, he scores goals, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he’s intelligent. I’m watching him carefully; he was devastating against Roma.

“It reminds me of the Yaya Touré of better times. He’s a different player but in terms of impact. He is holding up the Milan midfield by himself.”

Emery could certainly add some bite into his midfield by making an offer for the Barcelona player, and with just two La Liga starts this season, Xavi might be keen on selling him considering the Catalan side’s financial position.

In turn this could give the Spaniard the licence to finally ditch Sanson, who has been stealing a wage for too long at the Midlands side without contributing anything of note during his 18 months at the club. With that in mind, Kessie would be quite the replacement.

Queens Park Rangers interim boss Paul Hall has provided a promising injury update on Chris Willock after he missed the friendly game against Livingston earlier this week.

With the Championship set to resume next weekend, with QPR facing a tough game against table-toppers Burnley at Loftus Road, some teams have opted to have friendly fixtures to try and get their squads back to full fitness.

The Hoops defeated the Scottish Premiership outfit 2-1 on Thursday but the influential Willock was missing from the squad, which will have left supporters worried, as he had only just recovered from a hamstring injury ahead of the World Cup break.

However, Hall has put any fears at rest and suggested that the attacking midfielder will be fine for the visit of Burnley next weekend. He said:

“They were just not ready at this moment and it just a case of working them back fit and hopefully they will be ready to return to training in the next few days.

“Chris has just come back and he is not just quite ready so we didn’t want to risk him in a game like the Livingston one, but he is back in training, but this is just one step towards the Burnley game. I just need to get these boys all ready for that, that is what I have been asked to do.”

Whoever takes over from Michael Beale as QPR’s new manager will undoubtedly be delighted to hear that one of the most talented players at the club will be raring to go for the second half of the season.

The 24-year-old is currently the joint-top scorer at Loftus Road with six goals to his name, while only Ilias Chair is ranked higher in terms of average rating according to WhoScored, which emphasises just how important he is to the Hoops.

Willock has also averaged the second-most shots, most dribbles and third-most key passes per game in QPR’s squad, which highlights his attacking ability, so he will surely be crucial under the Hoops’ new boss.

Considering the west London outfit managed just one goal in five games ahead of the World Cup break, it can only be good news that the “fantastic” Willock will be fit for the Championship’s resumption, as he and the new manager will both be hoping to turn that woeful form around and get QPR back in the promotion mix-up.

Tottenham Hotspur are now plotting a move to sign Wilfried Zaha at the end of the season, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Zaha set to leave

Zaha’s current deal with Crystal Palace is set to expire in June 2023, opening the door for a move away from Selhurst Park in the near future.

Spurs did explore the possibility of a move for the 30-year-old in the latter stages of the last transfer window, but it failed to materialise, and they may now be in a race with plenty of other Premier League suitors for his signature.

There is a great deal of interest from English clubs, with London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal also named as potential destinations, while the likes of Marseille and Borussia Dortmund headline the interested parties abroad.

The Latest: Conte plotting move

According to a new update from Football Insider, there is set to be a major battle for the Ivorian’s signature, amid him rejecting multiple contract offers from Crystal Palace.

Any deal is not likely to transpire until the end of the season, but it is claimed that Tottenham are now plotting a move for the former Manchester United man, who it is detailed that Mauricio Pochettino tried to sign twice during his reign as manager.

The Verdict: Make it happen

The opportunity to sign a player with the quality of Zaha on a free transfer does not come around too often, and although there is set to be a lot of competition, Spurs could be a tempting proposition, given that they are on track to qualify for the Champions League again.

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has insisted that the winger is ‘incredible’, while ex-teammate Andros Townsend believes he ‘deserves to be playing at the highest level’, and he has finally got his opportunity to do so.

While he could flourish even more in a better team, the £130k-per-week earner has impressed considerably for the Eagles in his extended stay since rejoining in 2015, striking a minimum of ten league goals in three of his last four campaigns, and well on course to do so this term, having scored six already.

Tottenham are already blessed with an array of options in attack, but the Palace forward’s dribbling ability is unmatched, averaging 2.35 per 90 minutes over the past year, compared to a figure of 1.21 posted by Son Heung-min, and 1.87 from Dejan Kulusevski.

With no transfer fee required, a move for Zaha makes perfect sense, and Tottenham should prioritise finally getting a deal over the line for their long-term target in the summer.

Manchester City have made an out-of-window offer to RB Leipzig over the signing of defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Gvardiol shines…

The Croatia international recently returned home from this year’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar where he helped his country reach the semi-finals, before being knocked out by Julian Alvarez and Argentina.

Gvardiol stood out as one of manager Zlatko Dalic’s most important players on their impressive run with members of the media calling him ‘sensational’ and a ‘Rolls Royce’.

The Premier League champions are chasing a third-consecutive domestic crown but face stiff competition from Arsenal, who are currently five points out in front of Pep Guardiola’s side.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain will be looking at any transfer market opportunities which arise, and according to journalist Alfredo Pedulla, he may be plotting an ambitious move for Gvardiol.

The Latest: Man City make ‘proposal of £114 million’…

The Italian transfer reporter, via his website, claims City have made an out-of-window ‘proposal of €130 million (£114m)’ for Leipzig’s sensation.

It is believed that the Sky Blues are ‘thinking about breaking the bank’ for Gvardiol after his impressive performances in the Middle East.

Guardiola’s side are also in ‘close contact’ with Leipzig over the 20-year-old who is attracting interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The Verdict: Needed?

Eastlands boasts an array of top class central defenders already in Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Nathan Ake and in-form summer signing Manuel Akanji – making the need for Gvardiol debatable.

The starlet defender is a quality option, however, and City may want to swoop in and poach him before rivals like Chelsea can seal a move.

Guardiola may also be plotting to sell one of the aforementioned five, which would explain the interest in Gvardiol a lot.

If City have lodged a major £114m proposal, it’s clear they rate him very, very highly, as this would smash their transfer record set by the signing of Jack Grealish in 2021.

Arsenal return to Premier League action tonight as Mikel Arteta’s men take on West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.

The north London side currently occupy top spot in the table, five points clear of their nearest challengers Manchester City, and there is a genuine hope that the Spaniard could be the one to lead the Gunners to their first top-flight title in 19 years.

However, Arteta will be without forward Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian suffering a knee injury at the World Cup, and he is expected to be out for around three months, which is a blow for the manager and for Arsenal.

Despite concerns over William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arteta should have them available against West Ham. In midfield, another man who the manager should definitely unleash tonight in the Gunners’ first competitive match since 12 November is Granit Xhaka.

The Switzerland international has become a lot more dynamic this season, with Arteta moulding him into a midfielder who can push forward and utilise his attacking capabilities.

In 14 Premier League matches before the World Cup break, Xhaka registered three goals and three assists, matching his tally of goal contributions from his previous two league campaigns combined. Such a renaissance is one that “deserves an Oscar” in the words of Sky Sports’ Nubaid Haroon who has clearly been left staggered by his turnaround.

Indeed, the manager has certainly delivered a masterstroke in transitioning the player into a more attacking-minded figure.

The £100k-per-week earner has also averaged 1.4 key passes per game while succeeding with 67% of his dribbles, clearly proving that he is more confident in an attacking sense, and it has worked wonders for Arsenal this season.

Former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour has enjoyed the club’s start to the campaign and in particular Xhaka’s performances, saying that the 30-year-old has been “absolutely brilliant this year”.

Elsewhere, Arteta previously described the Swiss maestro as “phenomenal”, and it’s clear that he has become one of the team’s most integral players.

Xhaka carried his domestic form into the World Cup, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across Switzerland’s four matches in Qatar; and despite the Swiss crashing out at the last 16 stage to Portugal following a 6-1 defeat, Arteta will just be glad that his player returned to north London without any injury concerns.

Unleashing the 30-year-old against West Ham tonight after his break from club action could give Arsenal the edge in the midfield battle, and you wouldn’t put it past him to grab a goal or an assist either.

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal star Bukayo Saka in 2023 and his arrival at the Etihad could be a potential repeat of the Citizens’ signing of Raheem Sterling.

According to 90min, the Premier League champions have a long-standing interest in the England international and could be given the green light to sign him next year, should he fail to agree to a new contract with the Gunners, with his current deal set to expire in 2024.

The 21-year-old has been a key player for Mikel Arteta’s side so far this season, hitting four goals and six assists in just 14 Premier League appearances, which has helped him to an impressive 7.35 rating from WhoScored.

Danny Murphy was full of praise for the impact of Saka and fellow winger Gabriel Martinelli after they defeated Liverpool 3-2 earlier in the season.

He said:

“The two young lads playing left and right for them would be giving any defences in Europe or world football a problem. Great players can force teams into mistakes.

“They’re relentless. They’re so direct and so full of confidence at the moment.”

Despite his age, Saka looks set to be at the forefront of the Gunners’ title hopes this season and they will be desperate to tie him down to a long-term contract at the Emirates, especially if they have learnt anything from Liverpool’s loss of Sterling in 2015.

The winger would swap Anfield for the Etihad in 2015, after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title with the Reds under Brendan Rodgers in the 2013/14 campaign.

He would go on to make 339 appearances for the Citizens, contributing an impressive 131 goals and 95 assists, winning five League Cups, four Premier League titles and one FA Cup during his spell in Manchester.

While there is no doubt that Arsenal are an ever-improving side, Saka may well look towards Sterling’s career as the benchmark for winning trophies, and he could easily emulate the England star if he joined up with Pep Guardiola.

The prospect of signing another top talent from their nearest title rivals would surely reinforce City’s reputation as the dominant force in English football, so Txiki Begiristain should do all he can to bring Saka to the Etihad next year.

Celtic managed to maintain their nine-point gap ahead of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race on Monday afternoon, however, Ange Postecoglou’s side had it far from all their own way in a thrilling 2-2 Old Firm draw at Ibrox.

Indeed, after Daizen Maeda cooly slotted home with barely five minutes on the clock, it appeared as if Celtic were on track to secure a repeat of the 4-0 demolition of their Glasgow rivals earlier in the season, although this would not prove the case.

While the Hoops did maintain their lead until half-time, the Light Blues came flying out of the box in the second period, with Ryan Kent’s curling effort bringing the home side level on the 47-minute mark, before Carl Starfelt brought Fashion Sakala down in the box just six minutes later, with James Tavernier firing powerfully home from the resulting penalty to give Gers the lead.

However, while it was largely Michael Beale’s side on top as the game drew to a close, Kyogo Furuhashi salvaged a point for Celtic with just two minutes of normal time remaining, slamming home from close range after the ball broke free in the box.

Although, despite the result being much more favourable for Postecoglou’s men than Rangers, a number of the Bhoys’ individual displays will have disappointed the Greek-Australian coach at Ibrox, with Joe Hart and Josip Juranovic both poor on Monday.

Indeed, the latter was notably criticised by pundit Chris Sutton who claimed the Croat “would have struggled to impress any watching scouts” amid links of a move away from Paradise.

Having said that, it will perhaps be the performance of James Forrest that will be the 57-year-old’s biggest cause for concern, as the 31-year-old well and truly failed his manager’s trust after being handed a surprise start against the Light Blues.

Indeed, over his 61 minutes on the pitch, the £3.5m-rated winger offered his side next to nothing going forwards, taking no shots at Allan McGregor’s goal, failing with his one attempted dribble and making no key passes.

The £20k-per-week forward also enjoyed just 31 touches of the ball – the third-lowest of any outfielder to start the match – completed a mere 15 of his 23 attempted passes – at a success rate of just 65% – and gave the ball away on 12 separate occasions – meaning he ceded possession for his side with every 2.6 touches he had.

Rather unsurprisingly, these metrics saw the Scotland international earn an extremely disappointing Sofascore match rating of 6.5 – the second-worst of Celtic’s starting outfielders on the day – while The Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty also awarded the winger a five in his own player ratings, as well as stated of Forrest’s performance:

“A surprise inclusion for many as he was given the nod over Jota and Liel Abada by his manager. That must have been a supreme vote of confidence for the wide man and the Aussie admitted that it was his sparkling form which dictated that he was in the Ibrox starting lineup. Helped out [Alistair] Johnston as much as he could but he was not really seen as an attacking threat.”

Indeed, while Kyogo’s late strike ultimately spared Celtic’s blushes at Ibrox, the display of Forrest could easily have cost Postecoglou’s side dearly in the Old Firm clash, as the 31-year-old “flopped badly” – in the words of journalist Stuart Hodge – on his chance to impress from the off against Rangers.

West Ham United have identified an AFC Ajax sensation to bolster the midfield ranks and pump some new life into the fold after a damaging 2022/23 campaign thus far. 

Finishing within the European platform in both the past two seasons, Hammers boss David Moyes is now under weighted scrutiny surrounding the confidence in his management of such a talented bunch of players.

Despite his prosperous fortunes since assuming the role of head coach for a second time in December 2019, the club have run wayward this term, languishing in 17th place, level on points with Nottingham Forest, who are only in the drop-zone due to an inferior goal difference. 

With Ajax’s Edson Alvarez distinguished as a player to navigate a course that will get the Iron faithful cheering once again, a glimmer of hope might indeed arise from a troubling situation.

This is according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who detailed his thoughts on the situation to Loaded Mag’s Fully Loaded Transfer Show on Youtube.

He said: “I think Alvarez is one to keep an eye on. West Ham are looking at him because Declan Rice is going to leave for Chelsea in the summer.”

Imagine him & Paqueta

Alvarez has been highlighted as a potential replacement to the likely departing Rice, who has become the Hammers’ most coveted asset across the last few years.

One of the most integral and industrious cogs in the Ajax system, the £30.8m-rated midfielder has made 19 appearances this term, scoring a goal and providing two assists.

As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old has recorded a commendable average rating of 7.21 this term in the Dutch Eredivisie, making 2.2 tackles and 2.5 clearances per outing, sweeping aside the opposition’s advances and recycling possession for his formidable outfit, impressing with his creative flair by completing 88% of his passes and making 1.2 key passes per fixture.

His anchoring approach to his midfield play could meld with that of the Hammers’ marquee summer signing Lucas Paqueta, who arrived from Olympique Lyonnais in a lucrative £51m deal after dazzling in the French Ligue 1, grabbing nine goals and six assists from 35 appearances in a stunning season.

This teerm, he has not quite hit the ground running as Moyes’ east London outfit fail to clinch a rich vein of form, having failed to find the back of the net and assisting three times from 16 showings.

However, with the signing of Alvarez for years to come, Paqueta could have a partner that he could form a deadly partnership with.

The Mexican Alvarez, lauded for his “tenacious” attitude by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would be a stellar addition to a West Ham side in desperate need of reinvigorating, and with Rice potentially leaving, he would indeed be the perfect partner for Paqueta.

It is no real secret that Manchester United are seeking a centre-forward recruit this month, with the recent exit of Cristiano Ronaldo having left Erik ten Hag somewhat light in the attacking ranks heading into the second half of the campaign.

Following what was a hefty summer spend of over £200m – and with takeover talks still looming – it looks as if United will be acting with a restricted budget in the coming weeks, hence the need to find a low-cost, short-term option before the window is out.

According to Calciomercato, the Red Devils could well be interested in turning to a familiar face in the form of ex-Manchester City marksman, Edin Dzeko, with the Bosnian hotshot having just six months remaining on his existing deal at San Siro.

That could well lead to an exit from the Serie A side in January, with the Old Trafford outfit seemingly eyeing up a possible move to bring the 36-year-old back to the Premier League, having previously scored 72 goals during his time at the Etihad.

Turning to the veteran asset – who has 319 club career goals to his name to date – may not appear an ideal scenario to some due to his age, although the prolific “beast”, as described by journalist Joe Lago, is still delivering the goods in Italy.

The 126-cap maestro has scored ten goals and registered four assists in 23 games in all competitions this term, having notably scored in the recent triumph over league leaders Napoli to end their opponent’s unbeaten run.

That should indicate that the ageing figure can still very much do a job at the elite level, with Ten Hag potentially able to utilise the former City man in a similar way to his use of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar during his time in charge of Ajax.

Despite being well into his 30s after returning to Amsterdam for a second spell in 2017, Huntelaar went on to play an important role for the Eredivisie outfit under Ten Hag’s tutelage, notably scoring 16 goals in 28 league appearances during the 2018/19 campaign – despite only 13 of those outings coming from the start.

Having that experienced and clinical figure off the bench was certainly a useful tool for the current United boss, with the one-time Real Madrid striker netting nine goals from just six league starts the following season, before bagging seven goals in only 11 league outings in the first half of the 2020/21 season.

Such was his impact, Ten Hag was seemingly desperate to keep his compatriot at the club even longer, only for Huntelaar to eventually opt to join German outfit Schalke in January 2021 for the final few months of his illustrious career.

The experienced coach may well have potentially wanted the aforementioned Ronaldo to take on that super-sub, part-time role at the Theatre of Dreams, although he could now find his Huntelaar 2.0 with the acquisition of Dzeko.