All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to The Mirror, Southampton are likely to bid again for Birmingham’s Che Adams, after having their first £8m bid rejected. 

The Saints are clearly set on landing a new striker this month, and the 22-year-old Adams seems to be top of their list. That is no surprise given the fact that the forward has already amassed 14 goals and three assists in 28 Championship games this season.

However, seeing as Birmingham are standing strong at the moment, therefore causing Southampton to pay more, Ralph Hasenhüttl could turn his attention elsewhere. If so, here are two more options in the Championship that Southampton could look at:

Neal Maupay

Sitting in fourth in the Championship’s scoring charts with 16 goals, Brentford’s Neal Maupay is obviously a good option for The Saints. At 22 years of age, this is also a great investment for the south coast club.

However, what makes this such a good signing is that he also has six assists in the Championship so far this season. He has proven that he is also a creative force, which could prove hugely beneficial given the other strikers already at Southampton. If Maupay can work with them, there could be a huge amount of success at St Mary’s this season.

Finally, Maupay’s, and indeed Brentford’s form took a hit when manager Dean Smith left for Aston Villa earlier this season. Had the manager remained, the France under-21 international may have had more goals to his name.

Jarrod Bowen

As far as players go, there isn’t a huge amount that separates Jarrod Bowen from Adams. Both have 14 goals this season, both have three assists and both are 22. Furthermore, Hull and Birmingham are more or less in the same place in the Championship table.

However, what makes Bowen a slightly more attractive proposition is that he only has a year and a half left on his contract, whereas Adams has three and a half years, meaning The Saints may not need to spend as much.

AFC Bournemouth manager Scott Parker has admitted a desire to keep Liverpool central defender Nat Phillips beyond a current loan spell, as per Dorset Live. 

The lowdown: Phillips a cult hero

Having made himself a fan favourite at Anfield following a string of outstanding performances at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign, Phillips was deemed surplus to requirements during the January transfer window.

Helping guide the Reds to ten games unbeaten and a Premier League top-four finish, Phillips became a favourite of Jurgen Klopp too, who gushed over his ‘love’ for the Englishman and even compared his development to Robert Lewandowski.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, the no-nonsense defender found himself down the pecking order once again at Anfield when Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all recovered from long term injuries, as well as the signing of Ibrahima Konaté.

Following a strong start to life on the south coast having joined the Championship high-fliers on loan until the end of the season, Phillips could be set to extend a stay…

The latest: Parker speaks out

Speaking to Dorset Live, Parker was asked whether the club would be looking to keep the man dubbed the ‘Bolton Baresi’ on a permanent basis.

“Maybe, hopefully…

“At this moment in time, that has not really been discussed. As always, whether with Nat or all the players who are on loan and in where they sit or don’t sit, it is really irrelevant.

“Just tell them to keep their heads down, focus on performing and that (their future) probably ends up taking care of itself, one way or another. That’s how I’ve learned things. Nat needs to be consistent in his levels, which he has done.”

The verdict: No brainer

Since joining Bournemouth, Phillips has earned an impressive 7.02/10 average match rating from nine league appearances, winning 4.62 aerial duels and making 5.1 clearances per game (Sofascore).

Already boasting 17 Premier League outings – as well as UEFA Champions League experience – it’s no surprise that Parker would be looking to add the man hailed as a ‘monster’ by an adoring Klopp to the ranks permanently.

Seemingly heading back to the top-flight, Bournemouth will be looking to add steel to their defence in order to compete amongst the elite next season and given the strength in depth in the defensive department at Liverpool, a summer sale is the best move for all parties, with simply no room for Phillips to receive any game time at Anfield.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly set to complete triple transfer swoop. Find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a claim that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will need a scan on an injury picked up against Brentford.

The Reds returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, picking up a much-needed 3-0 victory against the Bees.

Fabinho opened the scoring for Jurgen Klopp’s side just before half-time and Oxlade-Chamberlain headed home in front of the Kop to double the advantage midway through the second half. Takumi Minamino put the game to bed late on.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

While it was a good day at the office for Liverpool, Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off late in proceedings, in what looks like another injury concern for the Reds.

According to The Daily Mail’s Dominic King [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], the 28-year-old will undergo a scan to reveal the extent of the problem, in what is a worrying update given the ex-Arsenal midfielder’s dreadful record on the injury front since coming to Anfield in 2017.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-17/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans react to Oxlade-Chamberlain update

These Liverpool fans provided their thoughts on the news on Twitter, with some Kopites’ patience wearing thin.

“Time to get rid of all these injury-prone players”

Credit: @emrysp

“Ox scored. Ox injured. Can’t believe this”

Credit: @ImChamikara17

“Big fan of Ox but availability is best ability. It’s time to cut our losses in the summer with injury-prone, unreliable mids and sell both Ox & Keita”

Credit: @Homes19LFC

“He’s been injury-free for the most part of a year now and he got injured rolling his ankle. How unlucky is that, this isn’t even about injury proneness”

Credit: @passingmfer

“Can’t catch a break can we sigh”

Credit: @l_manuel_

“We are getting very thin”

Credit: @CWinENC

In other news, some Liverpool fans have also responded negatively to a new transfer claim. Read more here.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side went into Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Burnley knowing that three points would considerably increase their chances of remaining a top-flight side come the end of the current campaign – with the Whites sitting just five points above the Clarets in 18th place prior to kick-off.

And, thanks to a fortunate first-half strike by Jack Harrison, a second-half stunner from Stuart Dallas and a 92nd-minute header by Daniel James, Leeds would go on to secure the much-needed win against Sean Dyche’s side – with the match ending 3-1.

However, despite the positive result, there were nevertheless a couple of Bielsa’s players who will be hoping to put the fixture behind them as quickly as possible, with Raphinha and Tyler Roberts being two of the more notable disappointments on Sunday afternoon.

Although, it will undoubtedly be the latter of this duo who will be most frustrated with his display against Burnley, as the 22-year-old forward was incredibly ineffective over his 58 minutes on the pitch at Elland Road.

Roberts should’ve played his last game

Indeed, the £7.2m-rated man was once again fielded as Bielsa’s lone striker against Burnley, and the Wales international offered very little in the role, hitting the target with just one of his six shots and the opposition goal, completing a mere 11 passes and missing his one big chance – somehow steering a free header wide of the far post in the first half.

The £22k-per-week forward also lost both of his two duels – a failure rate of 100% – lost possession of the ball on four separate occasions and committed one foul – for which he was booked – before picking up an injury midway through the second half and being withdrawn by the Argentine coach.

These returns saw the 22-year-old receive an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.6, ranking him as Leeds’ joint-worst performer against the Clarets.

As such, with it being reported that Roberts could be on his way out of Elland Road in the January transfer window, albeit on a temporary basis, the Welshman’s display on Sunday – coupled with his poor performances over his 18 further Premier League appearances so far this season – lead us to believe that Bielsa should instead look to make the attacker’s move away from the club a permanent one this month.

It is looking more and more as if the youngster is simply not of the standard required for the Whites.

In other news: LUFC must avoid disaster on £22k-p/w gem who “transmits security”, MB would be furious

West Bromwich Albion have learned the latest regarding the future of on-loan striker Jordan Hugill as they look to put together a promotion charge in the second half of the Championship campaign.

What’s the latest?

West Brom will maintain the services of Norwich City loanee Jordan Hugill for the remainder of the season after Canaries manager Dean Smith revealed that there is no recall option in the 29-year-old’s contract at The Hawthorns.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, Smith said: “I don’t believe there is a recall option. I’ve spoken to Andy [Hughes], who’s our loans’ manager who keeps in touch with all the loan players. I’m going to be speaking to Jordan over the next 24 hours to see how he is finding it there.

“I don’t believe there’s a release clause but I’ll have a chat and see how he is.”

The Englishman was benched for the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton and then left out of the matchday squad entirely on Saturday as Albion were beaten 1-0 late on at QPR.

After the defeat in West London, Baggies boss Valerien Ismael stated: “Yes it was my decision,” when asked post-match about Hugill’s absence. “I spoke to him about the situation, he came to me. I think now for him it’s a new situation. We spoke openly about the situation.”

However, finding a new situation may not be as straightforward as hoped with the complications regarding Hugill’s recall possibilities.

Ismael will be furious

Naturally, both parties will want the best for Hugill with there still four-and-a-half months of the season to be played. However, it does appear that the 29-year-old’s spell in the West Midlands is up.

The Norwich striker has scored just once in 20 appearances during his loan spell with Ismael’s side and has recently fallen further down the pecking order with the West Brom manager reuniting with former Barnsley loanee Daryl Dike.

The 21-year-old scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the South Yorkshire side last term as they reached the Championship play-off semi-final. However, a permanent move didn’t materialise and the American returned to his parent club MLS outfit Orlando City.

Now, the striker has finally made a permanent move to the Championship, following Ismael from Oakwell to The Hawthorns and signing a four-and-a-half deal with the West Midlands club.

If Hugill is no longer in Ismael’s plans, then West Brom and Norwich City will have to find a solution with the future of the Englishman in their best interest. Ideally, Norwich will recall the striker and send him on loan elsewhere, however, solving the predicament doesn’t appear to be that straightforward.

As a result, Albion are left with a player who clearly adds nothing to their side; an eventuality that won’t suit them at all in the back end of the campaign. Ismael will rightfully be frustrated as a result.

In other news: West Brom handed worrying transfer update that will have fans sweating

When faced with extreme and severe adversity, this Everton squad seem to have responded this term.

The Toffees have only won once since the back end of September but they have now claimed an impressive four points against teams in the top four of the Premier League throughout their last three fixtures.

Just hours after Marcel Brands had left the club, Rafa Benitez steered his side to a win over Arsenal and despite having a number of their key players out on Thursday, they still drew 1-1 with the European Champions.

To add to injury woes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina this week, Lucas Digne was once again unavailable for selection.

Seamus Coleman, Andros Townsend and Richarlison were all absent through injury too as a particularly young side was fielded against Chelsea.

But, for the most part, they did their team justice in midweek. Jarrad Branthwaite popped up with an incredibly rare goal while fellow academy graduates Ellis Simms, Jonjoe Kenny and Anthony Gordon all got opportunities to show their true colours too.

However, it was one of their longer serving players in Mason Holgate who let his manager down.

He picked up a yellow card early in the game and even if the Merseyside outfit only conceded once to one of the best teams in the country, it was a shoddy display from the centre-half who was turned all too easily by those in Chelsea’s forward line.

The raw stats also don’t paint a very bright picture of his display on Thursday evening.

Holgate had 28 fewer touches than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and registered a quite abysmal tally of three passes in the entire match.

Of course, a defender shouldn’t be judged entirely on his ability in possession but the fact that he was so scarcely involved should be a cause for concern.

After all, in defensive situations, he was far from convincing. The 25-year-old is now at an age where he should be starting to blossom but this performance was yet more evidence of a player who still looks like he’s in the infancy of his career.

Mistakes are too often and he is a lightweight in physical battles. At Stamford Bridge, the Englishman only won 50% of his duels and gave away two fouls as one error led to a shot on goal from the Chelsea attack.

With Mina out injured, he will simply have to improve in the coming weeks because at the moment, Benitez is left with very little choice but to keep playing him.

AND in other news, Imagine him & DCL: Benitez must seal Everton swoop for “unbelievable” 52-goal animal…

Leeds United must bring in new signings in the January transfer window after a poor start to the season, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Another defeat for Leeds

The Whites had another disappointing Premier League outing on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Dan James’ opener wasn’t enough to get Marcelo Bielsa’s side a positive result and they now sit 17th in the table, just one place above the relegation zone.

Leeds’ squad has felt stretched at times this season, with key players such as Luke Ayling and Partrick Bamford injured, so January signings wouldn’t go amiss.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay calls for January signings

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon in sharing an accompanying article for The Athletic, Hay delivered a 13-word verdict calling for the Whites to make mid-season reinforcements.

He said that it “no longer feels like they have the luxury of sitting this window out”, adding that “Full-strength Leeds have ample quality but they rarely are full strength, to the point where it seems as if they are being compromised.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-25/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While there is no need for Leeds to go overboard in January – the return of key figures will bolster Bielsa’s options – it is important that a new face or two comes in to supplement the existing squad, as Hay has understandably pleaded.

It would bring a much-needed freshness to the playing pick at a time when a relegation fight is becoming increasingly likely, allowing for rotation between January and May and hopefully leading to a rise up the table.

Failure to make any signings could threaten to make things become even more stagnant, potentially leading to the threat of a return to the Championship, at a time when the expansion of Elland Road could be impacted negatively.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled in the defeat to Spurs. Find out who they are here.

West Bromwich Albion succumbed to a first home defeat since February as Steve Bruce’s side lost 3-1 to Stoke City in the Championship this afternoon.A Jake Livermore own goal in the first half got the Potters underway before Jacob Brown doubled the visitors’ lead in the second half.There were hopes of a comeback when Callum Robinson halved the deficit with 17 minutes to go but those were ultimately extinguished when Lewis Baker scored the clincher for Michael O’Neil’s men deep into added time.It was a lacklustre display from the Baggies, who will probably be desperate to see the back end of the campaign given their 11th-placed position, with any chance of sneaking into the play-offs all but over.Having spent last term in the Premier League, Albion’s first season back in the Championship has certainly been a disappointment, particularly with results like today’s.What has also been a disappointment is the West Brom tenure of winger Grady Diangana so far.The 23-year-old West Ham youth product was sold by West Ham at the start of last season after the winger impressed on loan at The Hawthorns in the 2019/20 campaign.The transfer gained plenty of attention, not for the fee or context of the move but for the public outburst from West Ham captain Mark Noble, who tweeted: “As captain of this football club I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!!!!!”

However, the signs of a great future have still yet to be shown at West Brom by Diangana, who endured a tricky afternoon against the Potters today and let his manager down.

According to SofaScore, the 23-year-old had fewer touches of the ball (30) in his 58 minutes on the pitch than goalkeeper Sam Johnstone (42). Moreover, the winger lost the ball on 12 occasions, an average of every 2.5 touches, had no shots and attempted just two dribbles, completing neither.

There was little defensive contribution either, with the 23-year-old failing to make a single clearance, block or interception and winning just one tackle. Furthermore, Diangana lost six of his eight duels (75%).

On a more positive note, the winger’s passing was mostly accurate, with an 88% success rate, whilst he also completed two long balls. However, it was largely an afternoon to forget for the Englishman.

That’s a phrase which has been thrown around frequently about the winger since making his move to West Brom permanent, with Diangana scoring just three goals since leaving east London for good.

Two of those have come this season, along with just one assist, in 37 Championship appearances, so there needs to be more end product from the player.

The season appears to be all but over for Albion, with 2022/23 being Bruce’s first full campaign in charge of the Baggies.

Whether or not that will end positively will become clear over time, but what is certain is that Diangana will need to show signs of improving his contributions for West Brom, as otherwise he may well be on the move again.

In other news: West Brom now set for big disaster over “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated gem

An update has emerged on Rangers’ pursuit of a centre-back signing to add to Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Gers are set to intensify their interest in Hearts beast John Souttar and are poised to enter talks over a deal to sign him this month.

The report claims that the defender is considering offers from English Championship sides Sheffield United and Blackburn, but he wants to seal a move to Ibrox in January if he opts against a transfer south of the border.

Gio will love it

Van Bronckhorst will surely love this news as it shows that the club are serious about working to bring Souttar to the club this month. Rangers are prepared to firm up their interest and enter negotiations, in which they could attempt to persuade him to reject a transfer to England in favour of remaining in Scotland.

The Dutch head coach will be delighted with this as the defender has been in magnificent form for Hearts in the Premiership and could be a terrific signing for the Gers. He has averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.43 this season, showing that he is consistently delivering top-quality displays at this level.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once heaped praise on the defender, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

This suggests that his passing out from the back could suit the way Rangers want to play as they dominate possession, whilst his aforementioned statistics prove that he can defend his own goal. James Tavernier (7.87) is the only Gers player with a higher average rating than Souttar, suggesting that he could come in and be a key player for the club.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst will love Ross Wilson’s efforts to sign him in the coming weeks and, hopefully, they can get a deal over the line for him.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Morelos: GvB could form scary Rangers duo with 20 y/o “bag of tricks”…

Newcastle United are reportedly now willing to pay big money in order to sign Ronald Araujo.

The Lowdown: Destined for greatness

Despite the trouble in which Barcelona have found themselves in recent times, having to let Lionel Messi go to Paris Saint-Germain and potentially not being able to qualify from their Champions League group, the emergence of Araujo is at least one shining light at Camp Nou.

Recently described as a ‘spectacular’ player by his new manager Xavi, the 22-year-old looks destined for great things, and his teammate Gerard Pique already thinks that he ‘has everything’ for a central defender despite his tender age.

One of the most notable qualities about Araujo is his physique, as he stands at 6 foot 2, and he is in ‘exuberant physical condition’ according to former Uruguay centre-back and fellow countryman Andres Scotti, making him a bit of a beast.

The Latest: Wanted

As per El Nacional, Newcastle now want Araujo and are ‘one of the most interested’ clubs from the Premier League in the race for his signature, along with Chelsea.

They would reportedly be ‘willing’ to put an offer of £60m on the table, comfortably surpassing the club-record £40m that they spent on Joelinton, as well as giving the 22-year-old a ‘big’ contract.

Ideally, Barcceloa do not want to sell, but the report claimed that they would ‘have to study’ a prospective offer of that magnitude.

The Verdict: Unrealistic

It does seem too unrealistic that a player of Araujo’s quality and promise would move to Newcastle this early in the project, especially as they are currently in a relegation scrap.

Eddie Howe’s preference for high possession and attacking football would certainly suit Araujo more than some of the other centre-half options in the Magpies’ squad, given that the Uruguay international has averaged more passes at a higher success rate per game than Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored).

However, despite the kind of money that the Tynesiders now have at their disposal, it seems likely that Araujo would look elsewhere for now, perhaps to reigning Champions League holders Chelsea, until the long-term project at St James’ Park has developed further.

In other news, NUFC are also eyeing this ‘incredible’ beast