Category Uncategorized

Tottenham Hotspur are unwilling to match Bayer Leverkusen’s £80m valuation of defender Piero Hincapie.

The Lowdown: Hincapie targeted

It was reported at the end of December that Antonio Conte had spoken to the Spurs hierarchy and personally requested the Ecuador centre-back, with rumours of a move to north London persisting throughout this month’s transfer window.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth confirmed that Tottenham were looking at signing the 21-year-old at the start of January, while Christian Falk has more recently detailed that the Premier League club have continued to keep an eye on him.

The Latest: Huge valuation

According to The Sun, the Lilywhites are exploring a deal for the centre-back, with Conte placing him high on his shortlist of targets, although a January deal is not looking likely.

The 21-year-old is said to be happy at his current club, where he is still learning his trade, and Leverkusen have set a valuation of £80m, which Spurs are unwilling to match.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-3/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Worth the money?

Football scout Jacek Kulig has gushed over the Ecuadorian, hailing him as a ‘top, top, player’, while also claiming that he could go on to be a ‘future legend’, and it is clear to see why the youngster has received such high praise.

The starlet is very assured in possession, as indicated by his ranking in the 96th percentile for dribbles per 90 compared to other defenders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, and his defensive qualities are also up to scratch.

An average of 2.15 tackles per 90 in the same timeframe places him in the 87th percentile, with this figure also far higher than those amassed by Eric Dier and Ben Davies, which indicates that he could be a real upgrade to Spurs’ backline if they take the plunge on him.

However, an £80m price tag is far too high for a player who is still relatively inexperienced, with 2022/23 being just Hincapie’s second season playing at a high level in Europe, and Tottenham should look to either negotiate a lower transfer fee or turn their focus towards alternative targets.

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a move for Leandro Trossard…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Spurs are accelerating their interest in the Brighton and Hove Albion winger as manager Antonio Conte eyes attacking reinforcements before deadline day.

The 28-year-old is a likely candidate to leave the Amex Stadium this month and whilst a deal is not imminent, it could be expected to happen later in the window.

It also remains to be seen how much the Seagulls would want to let him depart, especially considering he was not involved in their FA Cup win over Middlesbrough last weekend.

Conte’s next Hazard

With the Italian head coach looking for strength up front, it would make sense to launch a move for a tried-and-tested Premier League talent and perhaps the Belgium international is ready to make that step up to a perceived ‘bigger club.’

Across 16 appearances this term, Trossard has found the net seven times, whilst also averaging 1.4 key chances created per game, which builds on his eight-goal and three-assist return last season, via WhoScored.

The former Genk gem is not only capable of playing on the flanks but can also be deployed through the middle as either a no.10 or a secondary striker.

That sort of versatility is exactly what Conte will be looking for because he already has the likes of Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son in the attack – it’s just that three of the five have been out with injury in recent weeks.

In some ways, Trossard could well be the manager’s next Eden Hazard, a key player during his time at Chelsea, where he won a league title and an FA Cup.

Both have been Belgium internationals, are short in stature with a low centre of gravity, and like to cut inside to contribute, which is very much the same case for FBref’s most similar players in terms of statistical profile, with Wilfried Zaha and Gabriel Martinelli listed.

Once lauded as a “wizard” by journalist Charlie Haffenden and a “game-changer” by BBC’s Phil McNulty, Trossard could be a very valuable and worthwhile addition to Spurs’ squad this month, so sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to secure a deal for the £18m-rated talent.

AND in other news, Paratici closing in on £66m double deal at Spurs, it could be “unbelievable” business…

Manchester United’s pursuit of Joao Felix has stalled as Atletico Madrid’s demands are currently too high, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Felix availability

At the beginning of December, Spanish outlet Cadena SER reported that Atletico Madrid were willing to let Felix leave in the January transfer window.

Meanwhile, there are also claims from Spain (as relayed by The Mirror) that the 23-year-old has allegedly fallen out with Diego Simeone and is open to pastures new, with a loan deal until the end of the season piquing the interest of Premier League sides, notably United.

The Latest: Mendes’ involvement

Unsurprisingly, Jorge Mendes is set to play a huge part in the deal with Felix one of his clients, and the super-agent is attempting to convince Atleti into lowering their demands that are so far putting off interested clubs.

Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that as it stands, there won’t be an agreement between the two sides.

He said: “Manchester United confirmed to Jorge Mendes they really like Joao Felix and they want Joao Felix.

“Jorge Mendes is speaking to Atletico Madrid because they are asking [for] more than €15m for Joao Felix; it’s around €18m considering the taxes and all these kinds of [things] for a simple loan of six months.

“This is why Jorge Mendes is trying to understand if these conditions could change, because Manchester United and Arsenal are really interested – but at different conditions.”

The Verdict: Ridiculous fee

The idea of spending upwards of £15m on a six-month loan deal seems absolutely preposterous from United’s point of view, especially with the Portuguese never having proved himself in the Premier League, while his form this season is far from scintillating, despite broadcaster Nico Cantor dubbing his World Cup displays ‘electric’.

A return of five goals and three assists in 19 games in all competitions – albeit from only 10 starts – is far from convincing, particularly when a loan deal offers no long-term assurances for him to build on.

Erik ten Hag may well be looking for a new forward to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and with options potentially limited in January, a significant deal might have to wait until the summer, but we feel a short-term option for a relatively underperforming player seems incredibly unlikely to happen.

Newcastle United are having a fantastic season in the Premier League so far, and there is no doubt that Eddie Howe must be thrilled with how his squad has transformed since he arrived at St James’ Park just 13 months ago.

The Magpies are currently third in the table after picking up 30 points from a possible 45 in their first 15 games and suffering just one defeat so far, but now the former Bournemouth boss will be hoping that his team can continue their phenomenal form when they return to action against Leicester City on Boxing Day.

If Newcastle can keep up their winning ways, they could be in with a chance to secure Champions League qualification inside the top four at the end of the season, an achievement which would put the club ahead of schedule in their long-term project.

Although Howe boasts an incredibly on-form group of players, the Magpies will not only want to deliver beyond expectation in the Premier League but also in any domestic cup competitions for which they are currently still competing, with both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup representing opportunities for the manager to deliver the club’s first major trophy in over half a century.

As a result, next month’s transfer window could be the perfect opportunity for Howe to add some quality depth to his squad and potentially strengthen the forward line even further to keep Newcastle competing on all fronts over the rest of the season.

One player who has been linked with a move to St James’ Park this month is France and Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram, who could become a hugely valuable asset to Newcastle.

In 15 Bundesliga appearances this season, the £8.5m-valued ace – who was dubbed “phenomenal” by former Gladbach team-mate Denis Zakaria – has scored 10 goals, delivered three assists and created three big chances, along with averaging two shots on target, 1.5 dribbles completed and 4.6 successful duels per game.

Furthermore, Thuram ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers over the top five European leagues in 2022 for non-penalty goals, shots in total, dribbles completed and interceptions, displaying exactly why Didier Deschamps selected him in his France squad for the World Cup, in which they face Argentina in the final tomorrow.

The 25-year-old has yet to start in Qatar but has still made four substitute appearances totalling 76 minutes, grabbing an assist in the 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16 [Sofascore].

Howe could even land his very own Victor Osimhen for Newcastle, with the Napoli striker named as the most comparable positional peer to the French goal machine, according to FBRef.

The two forwards have shared many similarities over their season, so far including goal contributions (13 v 11), pass completion rate (72.3% v 72.2%), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (2.60 v 2.50) and goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.53 v 0.40).

With that in mind, the signing of Thuram would be a major coup for the Magpies, and if the powers at St James’ Park can secure his signature in the New Year, it could put Newcastle in a great position to compete at the highest level in all competitions.

Rangers manager Michael Beale has dropped an injury update regarding Ridvan Yilmaz. 

The Lowdown: Yilmaz’s injury blow

The full-back has been out of action since October after he was forced off the pitch in the early stages of Rangers’ 4-1 league win over Aberdeen.

Prior to that, Yilmaz had only appeared in two league games for the Ibrox club.

Now that the domestic campaign has restarted, Beale has issued an update regarding the defender and his injury status.

The Latest: Beale’s update

Speaking to the media (via Football.Scotland), Beale had this to say about Yilmaz’s injury and his recovery, saying he could be missing for another six weeks.

He said: “It was a very bad hamstring. It was diagnosed at 12 weeks and we’re six or seven into that. It’s not ideal obviously with Borna [Barisic] going away. He gets to a World Cup semi final, so well done to him and [Josip] Juranovic.”

The Verdict: A concern for Beale

Having only started five of the seven games he’s appeared in this season, this suggests that the 21-year-old was not at the top of the pecking order while previous Rangers manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, was in charge.

Regardless of that, with the 21-year-old still some weeks away from making a return to action, this will still be a blow for Beale bearing in mind how Borna Barisic is the only other left-back in his senior squad.

However, with Barisic only making one appearance for Croatia during the World Cup, fatigue may not be an issue for him in terms of getting back into action with Rangers.

With that in mind, if the club can get the 30-year-old back in the team and keep his fitness up, this should ease the pressure off in terms of having Yilmaz out for the next few weeks.

Moving forward, it’s safe to say that Beale and everyone at Ibrox will be hoping that the Turkish full-back can make a swift recovery and make himself available as soon as possible.

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart could feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly next week as he recovers from injury, according to journalist James Hunter.

The Lowdown: Stewart missed Sunderland win

The Black Cats made a welcome return to Championship action on Saturday lunchtime, as they hosted Millwall at the Stadium of Light.

Tony Mowbray’s team eased to an impressive 3-0 victory against their London opponents, which is made all the more impressive because star striker Stewart wasn’t available.

The 26-year-old hasn’t featured since the end of August because of a thigh injury, although it now appears as though his return is imminent.

The Latest: Return in sight?

Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article from Chronicle Live, Hunter claimed that Stewart could take part in a friendly next week as he makes positive progress in his recovery.

The journalist tweeted:

“Tony Mowbray explains his decision to leave out Ross Stewart against Millwall, and says the Scot could play in a behind-closed-doors friendly next week.”

The Verdict: Massive boost for Sunderland

This is huge news for anyone of a Sunderland persuasion, with Stewart arguably the most influential player at the club, having scored 26 goals in League One last season.

The Scot’s return would suddenly give the team are far more dangerous adnd potent look to it, even though they fared impressively without him against Millwall.

Sunderland need to be careful with Stewart, though, in terms of not rushing him back too soon and easing him in gradually, but having him available for the upcoming Christmas period could be massive.

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao in January and the Brazilian could be David Moyes’ own version of AC Milan sensation Fikayo Tomori.

According to Tutto Udinese (via Sport Witness), the Hammers have joined Everton in their chase for the 26-year-old, who has caught the eye with his performances in Serie A in recent seasons.

The Udinese centre-back has seemingly been of interest to the Toffees for some time, but now both clubs are said to be “always on alert” to sign the centre-back after the World Cup.

A fee of around €20m (£17m) is touted in the report, although the Italian outfit will also reportedly push to renew his contract that expires in 2024, which could see potentially put an end to the Hammers’ hopes of bringing him to the Premier League.

Should he make the move to the London Stadium in January, he could emulate former Chelsea star Tomori, who has been hugely impressive for Milan and England in recent seasons.

After struggling for regular game time with the Stamford Bridge outfit, the young defender made the bold move to the San Siro, where he played a vital role in the Rossoneri winning the Serie A title last season.

The 24-year-old would make 31 appearances in the Italian top flight, averaging a strong 6.98 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which led to him earning a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad last season.

Despite strong form again this campaign, which has helped him to a 6.96 average rating from WhoScored, he was controversially omitted from the Three Lions’ World Cup squad, although he seems certain to play a big part in the future given he is still only 22 and valued at around €60m by CIES Football Observatory.

According to FBRef, Tomori is the ninth-most similar player to Becao when compared to other centre-backs across Europe’s top leagues, while WhoScored suggests that both the Milan star and the Udinese man excel at tackling.

This season has seen the two defenders register extremely similar statistics with regard to non-penalty expected goals and assists (both one), blocks (14 vs 10) and tackles won (14 vs 19).

Therefore, the two are clearly similar types of defender and given Tomori’s impressive reputation, GSB would surely be foolish to turn down the “insurmountable” Becao in January.

Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino is in ‘talks’ over signing a new contract, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The Premier League giants risk losing the 31-year-old at the end of the season when his current deal expires, with clubs able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement from January onwards.

The Brazilian has been the subject of interest from Atletico Madrid, and having not yet put pen to paper on fresh terms, his future has been up in the air.

However, a positive update has emerged which could see the Brazil forward extending his stay at Anfield beyond next summer…

The Latest: Talks progressing well

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg revealed that Firmino is in negotiations with the Reds regarding a new contract, and the Liverpool hierarchy sound confident that the 31-year-old will sign on the dotted line.

Plettenberg tweeted: “Update #Firmino: Been told that talks about a new contract beyond 2023 are progressing very well. But no final steps at this stage. Player can really imagine to extend. Relation with Klopp should be perfect.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-35/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Fully deserved

Liverpool certainly have more youthful options than Firmino up top, but despite his age, he has still proven the huge impact that he can have, which is why a contract extension would be fully deserved.

The forward has made 185 goal contributions during his time on Merseyside, with 13 of those coming in 21 appearances across all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).

He is Liverpool’s leading scorer in the current Premier League campaign and has posted the second-best WhoScored rating among Jurgen Klopp’s squad, illustrating his importance to the Anfield cause.

With Atletico sniffing around, FSG need to act fast in convincing Firmino to stay, or else potentially risk lose him for free in 2023.

Everton got back to winning ways in the Premier League last weekend after losing three consecutive games on the bounce, producing one of their most convincing victories for a long time as they beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at Goodison Park.

Frank Lampard will be delighted with how his team has shown resilience and improvement over the season so far, with many of the new signings making a huge impact.

Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have been showered with praise for their blossoming centre-back partnership in the Everton back four as the pair continue to positively impact the team’s defensive performances, with Lampard hailing the duo as “hugely important”.

However, it is not just the new signings who have had a huge effect on changing the Toffees’ fate in the top flight, with many of the squad’s mainstays stepping up over the last few months.

One player in particular who has had a monumental transformation since the arrival of the former Chelsea boss in January is Alex Iwobi.

Signed for £35m from Arsenal in 2019, the 26-year-old midfielder hasn’t had the best time on Merseyside before Lampard took the reins at Goodison Park, but with the help of his current manager, Iwobi has become a standout performer and leader in the centre of the pitch.

This time two years ago, Liverpool Echo journalist David Prentice delivered scathing criticism when analysing the player’s performances for the Toffees, claiming on The Royal Blue podcast that the midfielder made “too many bad decisions”.

Fast forward to today and the Nigerian ace has silenced his critics through several outstanding performances, instead becoming the recipient of high praise for his contributions to the team’s improved displays.

Iwobi was dubbed “exceptional” by former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf for his performance in the Merseyside derby a few weeks ago and described as an “inspiration” by Henry Winter for his latest showing against Crystal Palace.

Across 12 league appearances this season, the midfielder has scored one goal, delivered five assists and created three big chances, along with making 1.8 key passes, 1.8 tackles and 1.2 clearances per game, and he is currently the seventh highest-rated player in the squad according to SofaScore.

There is no doubt that Lampard will be thrilled with Iwobi’s transformation over the last few months and will be hoping that the midfielder can continue his impeccable form to lead Everton to a much more comfortable finish this season.

Liverpool will host Napoli in their final Champions League group stage clash at Anfield tonight, and Jurgen Klopp has his work cut out if his team are going to top the group in the final fixture.

Napoli extended their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions when they beat Sassuolo in the Serie A last weekend, and they currently top Group A in the prestigious European competition with Liverpool just behind them in second.

Both teams have qualified so the clash tonight on Merseyside will be considered a dead rubber for the most part, but there is still an opportunity for last year’s Champions League finalists to steal the top spot ahead of the round of 16 draw.

The Reds will need to win 4-0 under the Anfield lights this evening to top the group but it will be no easy challenge for Klopp’s side who have struggled for inconsistent form throughout the season so far.

Liverpool are currently ninth in the Premier League table following their second consecutive defeat on Saturday to Leeds United, though making some tweaks to the team that started at the weekend could make a huge difference tonight.

A player Klopp must finally ditch is Joe Gomez, as the defender has proven his inconsistency and has been error-prone in the backline ever since occupying the spot in Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip’s absence.

The £85k-per-week dud – who was dubbed “terribly overrated” by Usman Ally – caused chaos with a huge mistake when he delivered an overhit back pass to Leeds forward Rodrigo in the fourth minute of the clash, which led to the opening goal against Liverpool.

These careless defensive errors have been the story of Liverpool’s season which has seen the Merseysiders concede first seven times in their 12 Premier League outings this season. Therefore, now that Konate is back in contention to start there is no reason why Gomez should be starting over the French centre-back.

Liverpool have only lost two games when Konate has made an appearance in the team with the 23-year-old defender tallying up a 77.42% win percentage over his 31 appearances for the Reds. Gomez, meanwhile, currently has a 65.38% win ratio over 156 appearances.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see how Klopp sets up his team tonight, whether he will rest players and settle for qualification in second place or go all guns blazing to steal the top spot.