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Whilst Ange Postecoglou and his team prepare Tottenham Hotspur's players to take on Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend, work is going on behind the scenes ahead of the summer transfer window.
The focus of the coaching staff and first-team stars should be on the action on the pitch in their bid to secure Champions League qualification by finishing in the top four ahead of Aston Villa.
However, Daniel Levy and the Spurs chiefs behind the scenes are already laying the groundwork to manage the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
They are now reportedly pushing to ensure that one player – Giovani Lo Celso – remains part of Postecoglou's playing group moving forward.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Lo Celso was pushing for an exit from north London as he was frustrated, and seemingly annoyed, with his current situation at the club given the lack of minutes the manager has provided him with.
Now, in a twist to the story, Spurs want to keep hold of the Argentina international and offer him a new contract, according to Tutto Mercato Web, as relayed by Sport Witness.
The report claims that Tottenham are hoping to extend his current deal, which is due to expire in the summer of 2025, by another two seasons to preserve his future in England.
It states that they are looking to adjust his wages to ensure that Lo Celso is happy and willing to remain with the club beyond the summer window.
Spanish giants Barcelona are said to be admirers of the central midfielder, along with fellow La Liga outfit Real Betis, and Spurs are now attempting to scare away potential suitors by pinning him down to a contract extension.
The Lilywhites may want to keep hold of the World Cup winner as he has shown glimpses of promise in his limited time on the pitch this season.
Lo Celso has seemingly been frustrated, per the earlier report this year, that Postecoglou has barely used him in the Premier League, and his statistics in the few games he has played suggest that the midfield star has reason to feel aggrieved.
|
2023/24 Premier League |
Giovanni Lo Celso |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
17 |
|
Starts |
4 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Duel success rate |
63% |
|
Pass accuracy |
91% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old whiz has provided quality in and out of possession, with four direct goal contributions in 17 appearances despite only starting four times.
His 63% duel success rate also shows that the left-footed maestro has held his own in physical battles to either retain possession or win the ball back for his side, whilst his pass accuracy suggests that the talented ace rarely gives it away.
These attributes make him an attractive player for a team that wants to dominate possession, as he has the quality to provide goals and assists as a box-crashing midfielder whilst being solid off the ball and a reliable passer.
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However, it now remains to be seen whether or not Lo Celso is willing to put pen to paper on an extension amid his frustration at the lack of minutes given to him by the boss.
Liverpool fans have called for more signings after the Reds finally completed a deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili.
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The summer transfer window is now in full swing and Glasgow Rangers are yet to make a first-team addition to the squad.
John Souttar has arrived on a free transfer from Hearts but the deal was agreed, as a pre-contract, in January, which means that Ross Wilson has not sanctioned any moves since the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
The Light Blues chief still has plenty of time to add to Gio van Bronckhorst’s Premiership squad, though, and the club have been linked with a number of players.
Gers podcaster Andy Barnett recently told the Heart & Hand podcast that the club have been eyeing up a move for 18-year-old midfielder Oscar Gloukh.
He outlined: “I can tell you that apparently Rangers scouts were in my home. That’s along with scouts of over 40 teams at the Israel-Austria under-19 game, which Israel won 4-2.
“They were meant to be looking at Oscar Gloukh, who I’ve seen play in person and is an absolutely superbly talented youngster, a wonderkid.
“He came on for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the final third of the season and was just the best player in the league in the final third. He scored against Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel-Aviv which are the two biggest games and there was meant to be clubs from La Liga as well as Rangers looking at him last night.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv reportedly want £8m for the gem, and Wilson can land the Gers their next Ianis Hagi by securing a deal to sign him in the coming weeks and months.
The Romania international, who was also dubbed a wonderkid in his younger days, has produced 15 goals and 21 assists in 85 games for the Light Blues so far, playing as a number 10 and a winger.
In Gloukh, Rangers can find their next exciting young attacking midfielder to burst onto the scene at Ibrox. Despite only turning 18 in April, the prospect has already played 10 games for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first team, scoring three goals, and has been capped 21 times by Israel at various youth levels.
The number 10 has shown great promise at such a young age, with journalist Sam Tighe dubbing him “clever”, and this suggests that he has the scope to continue progressing and make it as a professional. He has many years left ahead of him to hone his skills and he can absorb tips from Hagi to help him fulfill his potential.
Wilson must now take a gamble on the ‘wonderkid’ and see if Van Bronckhorst can coach him into becoming the new version of the Romanian in Glasgow in the years to come.
AND in other news, “Understand..”: Jordan Campbell drops Rangers exit claim that’ll delight Gvb…
Manchester United could secure a transfer deal for Christian Eriksen during the current summer transfer window.
In a recent Twitter post from Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, he had this to say on the matter.
He said: “Manchester United feel deal with Christian Eriksen is possible after initial contact. Ultimate decision rests with player – he has other offers.”
Between 2013 and 2020, the midfielder scored 69 goals and delivered 90 assists in 305 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur.
After a spell with Inter Milan, the Denmark international joined Brentford having left Italy as a result of Serie A rules not allowing him to play with an ICD that he was fitted with after his cardiac arrest during Euro 2020.
In his 11 Premier League appearances with the Bees, the 30-year-old scored one goal and delivered four assists.
The news that United are positive about concluding a deal for the Dane is likely to serve as great news for supporters who will undoubtedly be keen to see him pen terms at Old Trafford.
After all, this is one of the most graceful players currently in the Premier League and his underlying stats tell the story of a marvellous player, one who could light up Erik ten Hag’s new side.
He ended the season with a higher rate of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (5.08) than any other player in the Brentford squad to make more than one appearance in the league while delivering 30 crosses as his magical creativity stood out.
In fact, despite only joining the squad in the winter transfer window, the former Spurs man ended the campaign with a higher performance rating (7.37/10) than any other player at the club according to WhoScored.
Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that Eriksen clearly still has what it takes to be a dangerous figure in the league and play at a high level, which is why United will be after him.
With Sheth claiming that the decision of where he’ll be playing next season will ultimately be down to Eriksen, the United hierarchy and the fans will have to hope that they have done enough to convince the midfield maestro to sign a deal with them.
A big update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Merih Demiral in the summer transfer window…
Turkish journalist Osman Cengiz has claimed that the Magpies have tabled a £21m (€25m) offer for the centre-back as PIF aim to strike a deal for the Old Lady gem.
He Tweeted: “Merih Demiral #PremierLeague, whose contract continues with #Juventus and who completed last season on loan in #Atalanta, from their team, Newcastle United, has applied. #Newcastle sacrificed 25 million euros for Turkish defender Merih Demiral!”
By landing the Juventus defender, the club would be bringing in a player who would be a huge upgrade on Schar at the back.
In the Nations League, the Swiss enforcer has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.1 for his country. He has also averaged a score of roughly 6.77 across the last two Premier League campaigns combined, which shows that he has been a solid – if not outstanding – performer for the club.
Demiral, meanwhile, has averaged a rating of 7.5 in the Nations League for Turkey, showing that he has caught the eye with his displays at international level whilst Schar has struggled in this break.
Domestically, the 24-year-old has averaged a rating of 6.91 or higher in each of his four seasons in the Serie A, playing for Sassuolo, Juventus and Atalanta.
Turkish-football.com founder Emre Sarigul previously lauded the machine, saying: “The Turkish international towers above most players, is physical, strong in the air and surprisingly technical with the ball for such a big man. He is a natural leader and cool under pressure.”
He has also been described as an “absolute beast” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and Sarigul’s comments and the defender’s statistics in the Italian top-flight back that up.
In the 2021/22 campaign, Demiral won an outstanding 69% of his aerial battles and has never won less than 67% over the course of a season – winning 80% in 2019/20. This shows that he is a physically dominant centre-back who is able to get the better of his opponent in the air the majority of the time.
Schar, meanwhile, lost 51% of his overall duels and only won 52% of his aerial battles in 2021/22 for Newcastle, which suggests that the Juventus man would be a major upgrade in terms of his ability to win headers.
The aforementioned ratings of the players in their respective leagues also suggests that Demiral would be the better option, whilst the Turkey international is also six years younger and has the potential to improve in the future – making him an excellent signing in the short and long-term.
An update has emerged regarding Rangers youngster Josh McPake and his future at Ibrox ahead of the summer transfer window…
Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that the winger is being eyed up by a number of teams south of the border after a loan spell in the fourth tier of English football.
The reporter tweeted: “Understand Rangers youngster Josh McPake is the subject of interest from several League Two sides. Carlisle United and Hartlepool United are keen on the attacker, who’s just finished his loan spell at Tranmere Rovers.”
Rangers’ sporting director Ross Wilson will be left delighted by this claim, as it suggests that he will be able to cash in on the attacker in the coming months.
The youngster has spent the last two seasons on loan in League Two but failed to show that he has the potential to come back and make an impact in the first-team at Rangers.
In the 2020/21 campaign, he scored four goals and failed to provide a single assist in 23 outings for Harrogate Town. He also lost 56% of his duels as he struggled to deal with the physicality of the game, although that was to be expected as it was the then-teenager’s first experience of regular senior football.
However, he did not use that season to improve, as he left a lot to be desired again in 2021/22. In 14 League Two appearances for Tranmere, he managed one goal and zero assists whilst losing 62% of his individual battles.
These statistics indicate that McPake regressed after a year of experience in the English fourth tier, and this is a worry in relation to his future at Ibrox. He has not shown that he is on the right path in his development and there is little to suggest that he is a player who Gio van Bronckhorst will want to call upon any time soon.
Therefore, now is the right time – whilst his stock is seemingly high amongst League Two clubs – to cash in on him whilst the Gers still can.
At the age of 20, clubs may want to take a punt on him in case he is able to improve over time, but his statistics in his career so far are less than encouraging with respect to the chances of him making the first-team in Glasgow.
Wilson will now be delighted to learn of the interest in McPake’s services, as he can rake in a fee for the underperforming youngster and use the money to bring in another young prospect or invest it in another area of the club.
Wolves are finally on the cusp of signing Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha, having been linked with him countless times in the past six months.
Wanderers are expected to make a number of new signings in the summer transfer window but no player has been tipped to move to Molineux more often than Palhinha.
Links dating all the way back to last June have suggested that Bruno Lage would make a move for the 26-year-old, eyeing him up as Ruben Neves’ natural replacement in Wolves’ midfield.
Now, the deal looks like it is closer than ever to going through, after transfer reporter Pete O’Rourke confirmed earlier this week the midfielder is a ‘long term target’.
According to Correio da Manha on Thursday evening, Palhinha will be a Wolves player next season, with the transfer on the verge of being completed.
An agreement is believed to have been reached over a €20million (£17m) move, with another €5m (£4.2m) in achievable add-ons.
Wolves have already secured their first summer signing in the permanent capture of Hwang Hee-chan, so Palhinha looks set to become addition number two.
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Neves is clearly going to leave a gaping hole in Wolves’ team if he goes, but this update is hugely exciting, with Palhinha appearing to be a tailor-made replacement, having been hailed as a ‘very good’ player by Jorge Jesus.
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Classy with the ball at his feet, the Sporting CP man enjoyed an 87.8% pass completion rate this season in both the Primeira Liga last season and in World Cup qualifying for Portugal, which is actually higher than Neves’ in England.
A hugely impressive average of 4.5 tackles per game at Euro 2020 last summer also proves that he is tenacious off the ball, so Wolves are getting themselves a strong all-round package.
In other news, a transfer insider has made a key Wolves claim. Read more here.
Reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has highlighted the three key areas that Tottenham will look to strengthen next during the summer transfer window.
This looks set to be an intriguing summer for Spurs, having finished in the Premier League top four and returned to the promised land of the Champions League.
The money should be available for Antonio Conte to bring in a number of new signings, beginning with winger Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
The pair are both expected to be Spurs players by the start of next season, with the former Inter star’s deal the first to be confirmed in an announcement on Tuesday.
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Writing in a Q&A for football.london, Gold was asked what comes after Perisic and Forster, claiming there are three areas of the pitch Conte will specifically look to strengthen next:
“They’ll keep looking across the squad for improvements and move when they can. Right wing-back, a forward-thinking midfielder and a striker are all on the list plus replacing anyone who might be heading out the door.”
There is no doubt that these are exciting times to be a Spurs fan, with Conte excelling as manager and masterminding a return to Champions League action, and now backed by a £150m cash injection.
While it is not clear how much of that capital increase is just for transfers, the financial gains from a top-four finish are great, too, and there is no reason why this can’t be one of the most productive summers in recent memory, as top players come in and replace those deemed not fit to serve in Conte’s system.
If the Italian can strengthen in those positions mentioned, another top-four finish has to be the bare minimum next season, with winning a trophy surely the main target.
In other news, a journalist is adamant over one Spurs agreement. Read more here.