All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leicester City are inching closer to finalising a deal for Atalanta full-back Timothy Castagne.

According to Football Insider, the Foxes are now first in line to sign the Belgium international, despite his heavy links to Tottenham Hotspur.

After losing Ben Chilwell to Chelsea last week, Leicester are in need of a reliable left-back before the new seasons starts. Luckily for them, Castagne boasts the versatility to play on either flank in defence as well as operating in a more advanced left-side role as well.

The 24-year-old is entering the final two years of his current contract with Atalanta and the Serie A side are reportedly willing to let him leave.

Spurs had shown great interest in bringing the defender to London, but after signing Matt Doherty at the weekend, Leicester may have snuck into pole position to land the deal.

Although the departure of Chilwell will be a blow for Brendan Rodgers, the club have pocketed a handsome £50million to splurge on a replacement. Castagne’s current Transfermarkt value is just £16.2million, so a transfer fee in that region will likely be the case.

His 2019/20 season saw him make 33 appearances for Atalanta, including six in the Champions League. He also contributed two goals and three assists, which highlights his ability to get forward down the wing (via Transfermarkt).

Additionally, Castagne has been capped seven times for Belgium and has scored two goals, which is a very impressive return for a defender. His international experience is close to Chilwell’s, who has earned 11 senior caps for England.

Whilst the hype of newest addition Doherty is still in the air, Leicester should use this time to quietly make their move on Tottenham’s next defensive target.

Would you like to see Leicester sign Castagne? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Writing for football.london in a Spurs transfer piece, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has explained in detail how Tottenham missed out on a deal to sign the prolific Ollie Watkins – with Aston Villa eventually snapping him up in a £28 million deal. 

Watkins, who bagged a brilliant return of 26 goals and three assists in the Championship last season, was viewed as a candidate on chairman Daniel Levy’s list of attacking targets ahead of the looming 2020/2021 Premier League campaign.

A homegrown, prolific talent – Watkins could have ticked many boxes for Spurs in their quest to sign a suitable back-up striker to Harry Kane.

However, Villa were also on the hunt for a forward, and they were prepared to heavily invest in an attacker with no proven experience in the top flight.

According to Gold, the demand for Watkins may have caused his price tag to balloon, resulting in Spurs pulling out of the race with Villa taking the driving seat.

Tottenham never actually placed a bid for the 24-year-old but could have been contemplating a swoop, with Gold claiming there was originally ‘interest’ in a move but the price tag repelled Levy and co.

Did Spurs miss out?

Lauded as ‘amazing’ at one point last season by Brentford manager Thomas Frank, in the midst of a fine goalscoring run of form for his ex-club, Watkins has been tipped to make a name for himself in the Premier League – but as of yet, we’re still to see him replicate his prolific run in the top flight.

Villa’s deal for the player could be worth as much as £33 million including add-ons, and this could have been a risky price to pay, especially for someone not guaranteed to start given the presence of Kane.

Spurs fans, did your club miss out on Ollie Watkins? Have your say in the comments below…

According to a ‘breaking news’ update, Sky Sports (via Football Daily) are ‘hearing’ Gareth Bale will be left out of the Wales match day squads to face England, Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria next month – contrary to a recent report which suggested he could be back in action by that time. 

Now, as per this update, Spurs may face waiting slightly longer for the club icon to make his full return upon signing in a headline-grabbing loan deal two weeks ago.

Spanish publication Marca, before Bale officially completed his sensational return to north London, claimed he would face a month on the sidelines – but now Sky Sports’ update has revealed a potential setback for the club, claiming it will be longer as he works to return to full fitness after a knee injury.

This apparent delay in Bale’s return could come as a slight blow to manager Jose Mourinho and Tottenham, especially as supporters are eager to see their hero pull on the Lilywhites jersey again ahead of a congested and gruelling 2020/2021 Premier League fixture calendar.

Now, after securing what was arguably one of the deals of this summer transfer window, Bale will have to wait to make an appearance – with fellow summer signings Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon having already made their club debuts.

Of course, this slight delay isn’t exactly the most welcome news, but a more positive development has been the strides made in securing a deal for Benfica star Carlos Vinicius. 

As things stand, Tottenham could land another star name alongside Bale before October 5.

Spurs fans, are you excited to see Bale back in a Tottenham shirt? Have your say in the comments down below…

Liverpool have cashed in on young talent Rhian Brewster after Sheffield United came knocking with a £23.5million offer, but they may already have his replacement.

The Reds snapped up young German talent Melkamu Frauendorf back in August and it was a move that slipped in through the back door. However, after his former coach has waxed lyrical about his abilities, he may be given the opportunity to step up to the plate at the Merseyside outfit.

The 16-year-old made his move to England after progressing through Hoffenheim’s academy, where he has left a lasting impression on the staff there.

Frauendorf’s potential at Liverpool

“Mel is a very flexible player,” Hoffenheim youth coach Danny Galm told the Liverpool ECHO. “He is straightforward with a good technique and very, very good endurance. He didn’t score the most goals, but he was involved in almost all offensive actions.

“For me, he was a very important player, who often initiated decisive moments with his dynamic and straight dribbling. I’m not a fan of comparing players to others but Mel is a special player. He is fast and has good endurance, and he wants to learn, but remains creative.”

From Galm’s comments on the teenager, he sounds like an ideal fit for Jurgen Klopp’s high-intensity style of play. His pace will suit Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah like a glove.

Is Frauendorf Brewster’s replacement?

Given the timings of the incoming and outgoing deals, Liverpool may have known Brewster would be leaving this window ahead of his final move. The Reds have welcomed a number of rising youth stars to the club over the summer and may have planned this move a little more carefully.

With Brewster having never played a Premier League game for Liverpool, it puts him around the same level as Frauendorf, who has already scored one goal in his two appearances for the U18s (via Transfermarkt).

Boasting the ability to play across any position in attack plus being able to slot into attacking midfield, Frauendorf could provide excellent cover for a number of first team roles. If his progress is fast, fans could see him integrated into the first team at the rate fellow youngster Harvey Elliott is.

In other news, Michael Edwards shows Liverpool worth amid potential transfer profit…

Carlo Ancelotti’s ruthless overhaul is right to include Bernard as Everton entertain the idea of sending the Brazilian playmaker to Serie A heavyweights AS Roma on a one-season loan.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph (5/10, 16:52), Everton are in talks with Roma over a potential loan deal for Bernard that would see the 29-year-old join the Giallorossi for the 2020/21 season after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ancelotti.

The Italian tactician is utilising every last second of the summer transfer window to clear out the deadwood at Goodison Park, as he sees no role for Bernard to play in his future plans as the Brazilian gets shown the door alongside the Southampton-bound Theo Walcott.

Bernard has played just two Carabao Cup fixtures for the Toffees this term and been left an unused substitute in each of the Merseyside outfit’s Premier League matches whilst they begin the campaign unbeaten across all competitions after seven games.

Ancelotti has previously been full of praise for Bernard, but noted back in August how he struggles to see how the former Shakhtar Donetsk man impacts fixtures that Everton are not dominating.

“He is really good with the ball and he did really well against Crystal Palace where he scored the first goal,” the former Chelsea boss said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“When the game is in balance, it is more difficult for him to prove his quality. When we have control of the game, for him it is easier for him to prove his quality. Maybe for this reason, I put him [in the team] at home and not away.”

Right to send Bernard to Rome

While Bernard is a fan favourite at Goodison Park and shares a mutual love for the supporters, Ancelotti is completely right to be seeking an option that would send the 29-year-old away from Merseyside before the summer window slams shut.

Beyond not featuring in the Blues’ Premier League efforts so far this season, Bernard had little to no impact on their top-flight performances last term with just one assist and one goal from 16 appearances following Ancelotti’s arrival – last coming in February.

The £14.4m-rated midfielder boasted a greater impact during Marco Silva’s tenure in 2019/20 with two goals and an assist, but his end of term statistics still showed a player who managed just 0.3 shots and 0.9 key balls each top-flight game, per SofaScore.

He also managed just 1.1 successful dribbles per league match, won just 39% of his duels, lost possession 9.3 times and delivered just 0.2 accurate crosses. All the while, Bernard was being paid £120,000-per-week as Everton’s joint-highest earner.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti’s backing has piled on the pressure for a £14.4m-rated Everton man to step up after a rare start.

Celtic’s shaky run of form continues after Aberdeen held them to a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Pittodrie Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The stalemate means the Hoops have gained a point in the Premiership title race, but they are still paying for their shock loss to Steven Gerrard’s side during the Old Firm last weekend.

As seems to be the norm this season, Neil Lennon changed up his starting line-up drastically in what he hoped would be a win for his side. After fielding a back three for five straight games, the manager opted for four defenders across his backline, dropping Stephen Welsh to the bench.

Lennon also changed his attack, putting Albian Ajeti up top as the lone striker, supported by usual starter Mohamed Elyounoussi, who was deployed deeper on the field.

This proved to be a costly mistake for the Hoops, who barely saw Ajeti make any sort of impact on the game at all. According to Sofascore, the 23-year-old made just eight successful passes in the 70 minutes he was on the pitch, with a measly three of those coming in the second half.

Ajeti failed to register any shots towards goal and was caught offside twice. His performance in what was a very important match for Celtic was an extremely lacklustre one. He was eventually replaced by Leigh Griffiths, who despite having a quiet game against AC Milan, made an immediate impact against Aberdeen.

Whilst the Swiss man’s numbers for the season are far from worrying (five goals in eight league appearances), Lennon certainly has a lot to mull over when it comes to his attack. The Hoops will face Lille in their next Europa League clash and he may well field a completely different line-up once again whilst he searches for a winning formula.

In other news, Michael Stewart not convinced on Vasilis Barkas performances which could cost Celtic moving forward…

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic is under pressure at the Hawthorns.

According to the reliable John Percy at the Telegraph, the Croatian’s position in charge of the Baggies is under intense scrutiny going into a tough run of Premier League fixtures, which includes games against Spurs and Manchester United.

Albion sit third-bottom on three points and are yet to win in seven attempts.

One of their biggest issues has been keeping clean sheets – no other top-flight side has leaked more than West Brom, who have conceded 16 goals. That’s nearly 2.3 goals per game.

It’s not been helped by the sale of experienced defender Ahmed Hegazi but as a manager, he should be able work his way around it.

Given the threat on offer in the next two games, an in-form duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son as well as an attack featuring the likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, Bilic should look to tinker his defence.

He must make a cut-throat call on Darnell Furlong, who has been very underwhelming as of late and as he’s an attack-minded full-back, it would be wise to stick someone with more defensive nous on the right.

On Monday night during the defeat at Fulham, the 25-year-old was among the worst performers – per SofaScore, he was dribbled past on four occasions, lost possession 22 times and made just 57% of 37 passing attempts.

Do you really think he’s going to be able to contain either Son or Rashford when he’s managing just 0.8 tackles per appearance this season?

Bilic needs to be ruthless and drop the Baggies lightweight, to instead call upon Dara O’Shea.

The Irishman is only second to Conor Gallager for tackles in the Albion squad, averaging a whopping 3.3 per game. He is also recording 3.5 clearances, 1.8 interceptions and a passing accuracy of 74.3% on average per match, via WhoScored.

These are all figures above what Furlong, who earns around £18.5k-per-week in the west Midlands, is doing. It seems like an easy switch to make, and one that may well help keep him in the job for another week.

AND in other news, skipper Jake Livermore at risk as a new midfield talent emerges at the Hawthorns…

Jose Mourinho has been tipped for face-to-face talks with Harry Winks in a desperate bid to keep the Tottenham Hotspur outcast in north London.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has backed Mourinho to sit down with Winks and discuss his Spurs future after the midfielder revealed he finds it difficult on the sidelines.

Winks claims his challenging situation will threaten his chances of making Gareth Southgate’s England squad for next summer’s postponed Euro 2020 tournament, having been restricted to just three Premier League starts and omitted from two 18-man squads this season.

The 24-year-old has so far remained a Three Lions regular despite falling down the pecking order, picking up his 10th-cap as a second-half substitute in Wednesday’s UEFA Nations League victory over Iceland.

Reports suggest Winks is likely to hand in a transfer request in a bid to leave Tottenham this winter, either on loan or permanently, unless he re-enters Mourinho’s plans following the £15million summer arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton.

McLeish is unsure whether or not Winks has the ability to displace Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele in the starting line-up, but expects Mourinho to hold clear-the-air talks in search of a mutual solution.

“He’s young, he’ll be of the mind that: ‘I need to play every week at my age, these are the most important years of my life and career,’ and maybe that’s why he’s getting itchy feet and why there are murmurs coming out that perhaps a move is on the cards,” he said.

“I like Harry Winks, I don’t think he’ll stick getting a club and he could fit into somebody else’s system but at the moment he’s surplus to Jose’s first-choice, I’m not saying he’s surplus to Jose altogether.

“Maybe Jose will have a pep talk with him and keep his spirits up and say: ‘Don’t play the short ball son, play the long ball,’ because he’s been a really good player for Spurs in their success over the last few years.”

Will he stay?

It remains to be seen if Mourinho can – or will even attempt to – keep Winks at Tottenham when the transfer window opens in January, as the midfielder’s “itchy feet” could well be a scratch the Portuguese tactician cannot resolve without offering him regular game time.

But with a packaged schedule thanks to competing in the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League, Mourinho will need to step in and convince Winks, once described as “amazing” by ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino, that he will be afforded enough chances to impress Southgate should he stay at Spurs this winter.

Mourinho can ill-afford to lose a player who is capable of starting week in, week out in north London should anything befall Hojbjerg, Moussa Sissoko or Ndombele, with Winks enjoying the next-most minutes in a central midfield role (257) to the Danish (720) and French (483, 422) enforcers.

As McLeish adds, Winks is also a player with eye-catching potential, but must work on one trait to his game that could be why Mourinho feels he must look elsewhere.

“Harry catches the eye as a busy player, he’s played for England, he’s very, very busy,” the former Rangers boss said. “He’s got a bad habit of keeping the ball, that’s an extremely bad habit to have, a guy who keeps possession!”

Over his four Premier League appearances this term, Winks has yet registered a goal or assist having averaged 0.0 shots and 0.3 key balls a game, along with 46.0 accurate passes (88%), 2.5 duels won (2.0 ground, 0.5 aerial) but zero successful dribbles, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho will be ruing Daniel Levy’s handling of a “magic” Spurs man backed to quit the club in January.

Manchester United have suffered from an inconsistent start so far this season which has been punctuated by blow after blow. Beating Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League has been overshadowed by defeats to Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Several players have seriously let Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down over the course of the campaign, which has coincided with a poor run of form. Harry Maguire hardly did himself any favours whatsoever as he faced a fresh volley of criticism after he suffered a defensive meltdown during the defeat to Jose Mourinho’s side.

Moving further afield, the midfielders have also made a right mess of things. Paul Pogba is yet to hit the ground running after returning from a period of self-isolation in September.

Manchester United must cash in on Paul Pogba

The France international failed to secure the move away from the Red Devils that he wanted during the summer when Ed Woodward priced him out of a move away from the club. However, there’s a high chance that United could lose him at the end of this season and their poor run of form in the Premier League suggests that they won’t be able to build on their third-placed finish last term either.

With European heavyweights PSG, Real Madrid and Juventus circling Pogba, it’s likely he will cost a pretty penny (or two), as his potential suitors will surely have to stump up a fee in excess of his £72m valuation, via Transfermarkt.

There’s no denying the fact that he is highly rated by Solskjaer, who admitted he is a “special talent” in a pre-match press conference before the FA Cup quarter-final with Norwich City last season. His former boss Mourinho was once a fan of his too, hailing his “monster” heroics in the 2-1 win over Leicester City in 2018, before their relationship went off the rails.

It looks like his relationship with the club legend could be heading for a similar rocky trajectory after Solskjaer criticised Pogba for the first time in his post-match press conference after the game against Arsenal before the international break.

“The boy is running away from goal, there is no need to go for the ball,” he said, as quoted by The Daily Express. “Not much of a touch, but it’s probably a penalty. He needs to stay on his feet. Paul knows it’s a soft penalty to give away similar to Nemanja [Matic] who almost got a penalty.”

There’s no doubt that Pogba is one of the best players at the club, as 33 goals and 35 assists in over 150 games isn’t something to be sniffed at, along with an impressive trophy cabinet consisting of one World Cup trophy, one Premier League title and one Europa League trophy, but if push comes to shove, Woodward must cash in on the Frenchman whilst he still can.

If a club can afford to meet their colossal asking price, it should allow Solskjaer to splash the cash on the signings he has wanted for so long, with Jadon Sancho still at the top of his wishlist. The club legend is still no closer to getting his right-wing solution so Pogba’s potential transfer fee could help to solve a problem that has plagued the club for so long. Losing the one-time academy product would be a bitter blow for the board but in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it’d be best for everyone involved if they got rid of him for good, especially when you consider the fact they have the perfect replacement in Donny van de Beek waiting in the wings.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes stunning prediction about Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United…

After a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Atalanta in the Champions League in midweek, Jurgen Klopp must turn his attention back to the Premier League, as the Reds travel to Brighton and Hove Albion in Saturday’s early kick-off.

The German manager made a lot of changes for the Champions League tie, with the likes of Neco Williams, Divock Origi and Konstantinos Tsimikas handed rare starts but with very few players impressing in the defeat against the Italians, it is more than likely that none of those players will keep their place against the Seagulls.

The Reds were boosted by the news in midweek that Jordan Henderson has now returned to training after recovering from the knock that has kept him out of recent games, and we expect him to come straight back into the side for the game at the Amex.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp to line his side up against Brighton on Saturday, with five changes in total…

The defence almost picks itself at the moment, with Fabinho and Joel Matip starting together at centre-back after their impressive performances against Leicester City in the last Premier League fixture.

Andy Robertson replaces Tsimikas at left-back, whilst the ever-reliable James Milner moves back to right-back after Williams’ poor display in midweek.

Henderson should add some much-needed leadership in the middle of the park, as that was something that was certainly missing against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on Wednesday.

The “exceptional” Curtis Jones is perhaps unfortunate to miss out as he did well against Leicester City, but we feel Klopp will keep faith in the more experienced Georginio Wijnaldum for the game against Graham Potter’s side.

Unsurprisingly, the front four should consist of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota after the Egyptian winger returned from his brief absence in midweek.

Mane will be hoping to put in an improved performance to end his minor goal drought and Jota will be hoping that he can grab a Premier League away goal after scoring in four consecutive Premier League games at Anfield.

The Reds will need to put in a much better performance if they want to pick up three points against Brighton on Saturday, although they need just a point to move back to the top of the Premier League.

And in other news… Liverpool can sign their long-term Salah replacement in “incredible” in-demand 21 y/o