All posts by h79snht.top

Arsenal are one of a host of top Premier League clubs keen on signing Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, a transfer report has claimed.

The Lowdown: Skriniar one of the best

The Slovakian has been a superb performer for the Nerazzurri over a long period of time, with RAIs’ Sandro Sabatini once calling him the ‘best in Europe’ in his position, alongside Kalidou Koulibaly.

Skriniar continues to impress for Inter and appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation, but it could be that a fresh challenge appeals to him in the near future.

With Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu no doubt keen to build an even more formidable squad, it looks as though a move to the Emirates for the Slovakia international is a possibility.

The Latest: Arsenal eyeing up move

According to 90min, the Gunners are ‘huge admirers’ of Skriniar and have ‘been in contact’ with the defender’s representatives over a possible transfer.

Arsenal face stiff competition from Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, however, in what could be a big battle to snap up the centre-back.

The Verdict: Gabriel upgrade

Arsenal are excelling in all areas so far this season but that’s not to say that they can’t improve in certain positions, or add strength in depth at the back to challenge Gabriel and William Saliba.

Skriniar could be viewed as a shrewd addition in north London, taking Arteta’s men up another gear having averaged 2.1 clearances and 1.3 tackles per game in Serie A this season.

He could be a true warrior for Arsenal, ensuring things are kept tight at the back while their vast array of creative stars wreak havoc in the attacking third.

Leeds United are thought to be ready to make a move for Cadiz CF defender Momo Mbaye.

The Lowdown: Mbaye linked with Leeds

The Whites were first linked with a move for the 24-year-old at the end of October. Reports suggested that Leeds were closely following the Senegalese centre-back alongside Brighton and Southampton.

Hailed as a ‘class act’ by Darragh Collins, Mbaye has made just four senior appearances for his current employers, but it seems as if Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani are ready to pounce.

The Latest: Mbaye transfer update

Sport Witness relayed an update regarding the defender on Wednesday, in which Leeds were once again name-checked.

They claimed that Wolves have joined the Premier League trio in the race for Mbaye, adding that all four English suitors would be ready to move in order to secure the 24-year-old’s services in January.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-54/” title=”Latest Leeds United news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Not a priority…

Jesse Marsch currently has four senior centre-backs at his disposal and that includes Pascal Struijk, who has mainly filled in for Junior Firpo at left-back so far this season.

Patrick Bamford has also had his injury issues this season, so if Leeds are to add to their squad in January, perhaps a new left-back and centre-forward should be higher up on the list than another centre-back.

Mbaye doesn’t have much senior experience either, so there’s no guarantee that he would be an upgrade on Marsch’s current options at the back.

Leeds United have seen a number of their first-team stars selected in their respective countries’ squads for the World Cup this week, with both Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson heading to Qatar with the USA, while Rasmus Kristensen also made Denmark’s 26-man squad for the winter tournament.

However, one player who did not make the cut was Mateusz Klich, with the 32-year-old midfielder missing out on Czesław Michniewicz’s final squad after being included in Poland’s initial 47-man shortlist for the competition.

The 41-cap international will undoubtedly be gutted to miss out on the chance at participating in a World Cup, having been a regular part of the Poland squad in recent years, although, considering just how little the midfielder has featured under Jesse Marsch this season, perhaps his exclusion was to be expected.

Indeed, despite the £5.2m-rated talent having featured in 13 of Leeds’ fixtures in all competitions in 2022/23, only two of these appearances have come as starts – both of which were in the Carabao Cup – with the former Twente FC man playing a mere 188 minutes of Premier League football this term.

And, in the limited time that Klich has been on the pitch, he has failed to impress, averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.55 over his 11 top-flight outings – currently ranking him as Marsch’s fifth-worst performer in the league – while the 32-year-old also failed to impress in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Over his 90 minutes on the pitch in the 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the £34k-per-week midfielder lost 100% of his duels, was beaten by an opponent twice and lost possession of the ball on 11 separate occasions – with the veteran being massively outshone in the middle of the park by 18-year-old debutant Darko Gyabi.

Indeed, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross awarded Klich a five in his player ratings for the match – while the journalist awarded Gyabi a seven – as well as stating of the Poland international’s performance: “Popped up with the odd decent pass, but nothing to really hurt the hosts.”

As such, without meaning to add insult to injury, considering just how rapidly the player who Joe Wainman dubbed “lacklustre” has fallen off this season, it would appear as if there is not much of a future for the midfielder at Elland Road, with Victor Orta looking to secure the 32-year-old’s exit from the club this January appearing to be a move that would suit all parties.

Newcastle United have enjoyed a fine start to the season thus far after moving themselves firmly into contention for a top-four berth, with Eddie Howe’s side having lost just one of their opening 15 Premier League games to continue the remarkable resurgence during the Englishman’s tenure.

One man that has been somewhat on the periphery of that stunning start to the campaign is fleet-footed Frenchman, Allan Saint-Maximin, with the 25-year-old having made just seven league appearances thus far due to injury, only four of which have come from the start.

While the former Nice man – who arrived at St James’ Park just over three years ago – has still chipped in with four goal contributions despite his lack of action this term, it has perhaps become a source of frustration as far as the Magpies are concerned that he has been unable to stay fit, having been hampered by injuries over the years.

For all the forward’s creative talents and lightning speed, that has not always been coupled with an end product, with the £70k-per-week maverick having registered just 13 goals and 19 assists in 101 games for the northeast side to date.

The winger’s failure to “find that consistency” – as per pundit Noel Whelan – has perhaps become something of a concern as far as Howe and co are concerned, with reports over the summer even claiming that the club were willing to cash in on the entertaining asset.

If the Tynesiders are looking to part ways with the cult figure, they could well have already identified a possible replacement in the form of Real Valladolid starlet, Gonzalo Plata, with transfer insider Dean Jones recently suggesting that the 22-year-old is a player that Newcastle are keeping tabs on.

The former Sporting Lisbon man – who made the move to Spain in an £8.5m deal in the summer after an initial loan spell – had been tipped for a move to Leeds United over the summer, having caught the eye as a result of his displays for club and country.

The Ecuador international has already “impressed” at the World Cup, in the words of CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, having played his part in his nation’s 2-0 win over hosts Qatar on Sunday, proving himself something of a livewire in his wide berth.

As Jacobs also stated, the 31-cap gem showed his qualities as a player who is “fast, direct and can pick a pass”, having illustrated that quality in La Liga 2 last term in which he recorded 11 goal involvements.

The “trickster” – as described by Adrian Blanco – no doubt possesses that captivating, magical quality that has also been Saint-Maximin’s trademark, with the aforementioned Jones notably describing him as a ‘game-changer, a man who can produce something out of nothing’.

Those are traits that have regularly been attributed to Newcastle’s current showman, while the two men also share a number of statistical and stylistic similarities, as per FBref, with the one-time Monaco ace ranking in the top 1% for dribbles completed, while Plata ranks in the top 7% for the same metric.

While it would prove something of an emotional farewell were PIF to cash in on Saint-Maximin, replacing him with the lively Ecuadorian could well be the perfect solution.

Aston Villa have already reaped huge benefits from Unai Emery’s short tenure at the club…

What’s the latest?

As per journalist Dean Jones, one man in particular has benefitted from the Spaniard’s arrival.

Danny Ings had struggled for goals this season under Steven Gerrard, however since his sacking has stepped up for the new boss.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones thinks both player and manager are working in tandem to create this good form: “He’ll be loving what Danny Ings has brought so far. I think Ings is kind of born again now that he’s got a new lease of life, he wanted this opportunity to thrive at Aston Villa and he’s going to get it.

“I think that’s great, and it’s something that he will embrace.”

Struck gold

Although it seemed like his move to Villa Park was destined to fail after his poor start, it seems the Midlands outfit are finally starting to see the marksman who has been a consistent Premier League goalscorer throughout his career.

Having scored just once this season under Gerrard, he underwent an eight-game drought before he could score again.

However, following his brace in their thrashing of Brentford, the 30-year-old now has four goals in his last four games.

Signing for £25m, there was huge pressure on his shoulders to free Ollie Watkins from holding the majority of the goalscoring burden given how he had performed at Southampton.

He had previously scored 46 times in just 100 appearances for the south coast outfit.

His proficiency at St Mary’s led writer Leanne Prescott to label him a “tireless worker and a really clinical finisher” after he had seemingly put his injury woes aside.

Although it didn’t seem like it at first, Gerrard actually might have struck gold for his former club, handing over a lethal striker to a coach boasting untold pedigree.

It is likely that any success Emery has at his new club, the £120k-per-week man will be at the heart of it.

Newcastle United have already wrapped up one deal ahead of the January transfer window, with Australian sensation Garang Kuol having been signed from A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners back in September.

Speaking at the time of the 18-year-old’s capture, the Magpies’ sporting director Dan Ashworth revealed that the club were eyeing “exciting young players for the future” as part of their long-term project, as well as more established players to go straight into the first-team.

That recruitment drive to find promising talent is seemingly set to continue amid rumours that Brazilian sensation Andrey Santos is a target for the Tynesiders, as well as Argentine star Maximo Perrone.

Another sparkling gem who could well arrive at St James’ Park is 17-year-old, Roger Fernandes, with reports over the summer having suggested that the teenager was a target for Ashworth and co, with the Premier League side having seemingly been readying a ‘big money’ offer for his services – potentially as high as €25m (£21m)

The “very promising talent” – as described by writer Zach Lowy – had caught the attention after making his senior debut for current club Braga at the age of just 15 last year, going on to score three goals in just 11 games in the first-team last season.

Such an impact notably saw the promising asset lauded by former boss Carlos Carvalhal, with the one-time Swansea City boss describing the youngster as “something special” due to the winger’s level of preparation ahead of making his senior bow.

The Guinea-Bissau-born machine – who has five goals in 15 games for the Portuguese side’s U23 side – notably scored twice in a 6-0 thrashing of Arouca in the Primeira Liga last December, having made a stunning impact after being thrust into the first-team.

Although Roger has since been unable to feature this time around, that could seemingly work in Newcastle’s favour, with recent speculation suggesting that the northeast side are set to make another approach in the near future, albeit while making a lower offer due to the player’s lack of action.

While the 5 foot 7 man’s inability to feature this season may be of concern to Eddie Howe’s side, the former Bournemouth boss would no doubt love the chance to help develop what is an obvious talent over the coming years.

The arrival of the explosive wide man could well see Howe and Ashworth able to secure a potential long-term heir for Allan Saint-Maximin on the flanks, with the fleet-footed Frenchman facing something of an uncertain future at the club.

The 25-year-old was notably tipped for a potential exit in the summer despite having become something of a cult figure at the club in recent years, while the former Nice ace has since gone on to score just once so far this season, having typically struggled with injury.

The pacy playmaker has routinely endured spells out on the treatment table due to a variety of injury issues in recent years, while his end product has also come under scrutiny at times when he has featured, with only 12 goals and 16 assists to his name in 93 top-flight games to date.

Should Saint-Maximin depart any time soon, Newcastle could seemingly replace the undoubtedly eye-catching talent with a player of huge potential in the form of Fernandes.

Everton have been handed a more definitive date for the return of James Garner…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to injury specialist Ben Dinnery, who does not expect the 21-year-old to return until February.

Having missed the Toffees’ final game before the World Cup due to a “back problem”, Dinnery has now followed up on Frank Lampard’s initial assessment.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “So, this was an update from Frank Lampard again, [Garner suffered] an injury picked up in the Carabao Cup and missed out on game week 16. Subsequently, he didn’t travel on the club’s mid-season tour of Australia. 

“The initial sort of prognosis was relatively okay, but subsequent evaluations and testaments reveal that it’s probably going to be towards maybe the end of January or even early February before Garner is back in contention.”

It’s a huge blow

The timing of this injury seems eerily similar to Nathan Patterson’s need for ankle surgery at the back end of last season, where he had finally started to stake his claim for a starting birth before being struck with a lengthy lay-off.

Despite signing in the summer, Garner had not featured in any of their opening nine Premier League matches before finally making his debut against his old club Manchester United.

Although it was only a short cameo, he boasted a liveliness that saw supporters demand an increase in minutes.

He would come off the bench in every game following, with his play time increasing with each game week.

It seemed like things were building towards his first league start before his injury, which will now see his progress halted.

What will frustrate Lampard even more is that his options in midfield seem to be swiftly dwindling, and a position that seemed bustling with talent has been whittled down to the bare bones.

Tom Davies was also sent home from their Australia tour for a scan on his knee, leaving just Alex Iwobi, Amadou Onana, the underperforming Abdoulaye Doucoure and an ageing Idrissa Gana Gueye as Lampard’s options.

The Garner injury in particular marks a huge blow, as he really could have begun to force his way into the first-team plans following the conclusion of this domestic football hiatus, just as Patterson did last season. However, he will now have to wait.

Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis could have a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in place over an improved deal, according to Tam McManus.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis shining for Hoops

The 28-year-old has become a popular figure at Parkhead since arriving from VVV-Venlo last year, scoring 25 goals in 50 appearances in total.

This season, Giakoumakis has netted six times in the Scottish Premiership, despite only starting four matches, and he has been hailed as ‘hugely important’ by Ange Postecoglou.

While the Greek’s current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026, there has been plenty of talk about whether or not he will sign a new deal, with The Daily Record claiming he’s set for a ‘shock’ exit after talks stalled.

The Latest: New deal incoming?

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus claimed that an agreement may have been in place for a while, just not with the i’s dotted and t’s crossed:

“He has a while left on his current deal but there seems to be a gentleman’s agreement that if he came in and down well then Celtic would bump his money up.

“I don’t know if that is going to happen. He is obviously looking for a new contract on more money. Celtic are in a strong position though, they have him until 2026.

“You want your players to be happy. I think he has something like 25 goals in 50 games so he has a good record. I don’t know how this is going to play out but he has only been there a year.

“If they can get him tied down to a big new contract and everyone is happy, that has to be the aim for Celtic. They won’t want to lose him.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-9/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Long-term Parkhead hero?

This is an encouraging update from a Celtic perspective, with Giakoumakis someone who should be viewed as a vital part of the club’s future in the coming years.

[freshpress-quiz id=“415619″]

His aforementioned goalscoring record speaks for itself – a goal every other game is hugely impressive – and at 28, he should remain at a high level for some time yet.

Even if a new deal doesn’t come Giakoumakis’ way, Celtic certainly find themselves in a strong bargaining position if other clubs come calling, such is the length of his current contract.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has shared his thoughts on the injury picked up by Elliot Embleton during the Wearside club’s recent 1-1 draw against Hull City in the Championship. 

The Lowdown: Sunderland draw against Hull

Sunderland were denied a victory on Saturday as Ross Stewart’s 74th-minute opener was cancelled out by Ozan Tufan’s equaliser eight minutes later.

The Black Cats suffered a blow earlier on in the second half when Embleton was forced off the pitch on a stretcher with a suspected injury which came from a high-boot challenge which earned him a red card from the referee.

This led to Mowbray sharing his thoughts on the matter regarding the midfielder’s injury blow.

The Latest: Mowbray on Embleton injury

Speaking after the match (via Chronicle Live), Mowbray had his say when asked about Embleton’s injury.

The Black Cats manager said: “He’s gone to hospital. He’s gone in an ambulance to hospital, he was in a lot of discomfort.

“I don’t really want to comment on what we think it is. Our club doctor was here and he thought it was serious enough for him to go to hospital.

“He was in a lot of pain and hopefully whatever he needs doing, he will get looked after well. It looks like a bad injury. Let’s wait and see what the true diagnosis of that is.”

The Verdict: A blow for Sunderland

With Embleton boasting the joint-highest number of league appearances (23) to his name this season of any Sunderland player, this highlights how important the 23-year-old has been for the club.

To highlight what the midfielder has offered the Black Cats this season, only two players in Mowbray’s squad have made more key passes (16) and landed more shots on target (nine) than Embleton.

In addition, only three Sunderland players have completed more dribbles than the Englishman (13), further showcasing his attacking prowess.

Since the match against Hull, journalist James Hunter shared on Twitter that Embleton has reportedly broken his leg, although any official confirmation to this effect is yet to be delivered.

If that is the case, this will undeniably be a big blow for him and Sunderland, who may need to continue through the remainder of the campaign without him.

Leeds United remain in the hunt for Matheus Cunha, with one journalist’s assessment of the transfer rumour being a positive one for Victor Orta…

What’s the latest?

Transfer expert Dean Jones has said that the Whites’ pursuit will hinge on the actions of Wolverhampton Wanderers, after his claim on Sunday which noted that Julen Lopetegui’s side were in the “driving seat” for the 23-year-old.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT recently: “If Wolves can’t tie it up, then it will be one to look out for. I was sceptical of Leeds’ interest at first, but there are actually some interesting factors that could make this doable.”

Cunha joined Atletico Madrid from Hertha Berlin in a €25m (£22m) move in the summer of 2021.

A “doable” move

The final word in Jones’ claim will be a refreshing one for Jesse Marsch, who must be keen to reunite with the player with whom he worked at RB Leipzig at a time when Leeds most require an added injection of magic in the final third.

Sitting just two points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, they can be commended for their free-scoring nature as they boast 22 goals from 14 games.

However, having conceded 26 times during that period, it is clear that unless they tighten up at the back, they will need to add even more goals if they want to avoid a relegation scrap akin to last season.

Whilst this season has been somewhat unkind to Cunha, who is without a goal in 17 (mostly substitute) appearances, he has shown on numerous occasions that he can offer a consistent attacking threat to score or create goals.

The 2021/22 campaign saw him register seven goals and seven assists, following up on his eight goals and seven assists in his final season in the Bundesliga.

These performances led his former FC Sion coach Paolo Tramezzani to dub him an “extraordinary boy” with “incredible acceleration”.

Whist ranking in the top 2% for assists will have the likes of Rodrigo salivating at Leeds, what could please Marsch most is the fact that the 23-year-old  also ranks in the top 3% for tackles and the top 4% for interceptions among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022.

By adding this relentless wizard to his team, the Whites boss could end up benefitting at both ends of the pitch. Should the opportunity arise, it would mark a no-brainer to bring Cunha to Yorkshire in Leeds’ latest bid for Premier League survival.