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Leeds United could make their move for FC Zurich striker Wilfried Gnonto before next Thursday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton, who claims that the 18-year-old is a key target for Victor Orta and co at Elland Road.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“He might be one that they’ve identified for now, or maybe for January, or even for next year. He’s still a young player and, again, if he were to come in, what does that do for Joe Gelhardt?

“They’ve got to balance that out as well. So I think he’s one they’re definitely interested in.”

The Italy international is thought to be available for as little as €10m (£8m), as per reports in his home country.

Smart signing

Given Leeds’ desperate need for frontline reinforcements, this move has the potential to be another shrewd one for manager Jesse Marsch, who will certainly want an alternative to Patrick Bamford.

The no.9 missed a large chunk of last season through injury, having been restricted to just nine Premier League appearances.

These issues will just not go away as Bamford trudged off during their second game of the season, a 2-2 draw with Southampton, leading to him being absent for the surprise 3-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.

Gnonto, who has been described as “so quick and can do everything” by national team boss Roberto Mancini, would be a bargain for the Whites at just £8m.

Recently, the teenager provided an assist in Zurich’s Europa League qualifying win over Hearts and that built on last season’s exploits of ten goals and five assists, having also displayed immense versatility to play anywhere along the front three, out wide and in midfield.

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano believes Gnonto would be a “smart signing” for Leeds to make and it’s hard to disagree.

“Let’s see what happens with Gnonto because we already mentioned his name for Leeds and they are following him, and they are still in contact with these agents to see if they have the opportunity to bring him to Leeds immediately,” he recently told the Que Golazo podcast.

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“I think it’s a possibility. There are negotiations, and so I think that Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta want to do something more in the market – if they have a talented opportunity for the attacking positions. This is the priority for Leeds. So I would mention Gnonto because I think he would be a really smart signing.”

As such, the young, versatile Zurich talisman could be an ideal eighth signing to end a busy summer of business around Elland Road.

AND in other news, MLS insider drops Kai Wagner update…

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in signing Alvaro Morata in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, the Magpies are keen on a deal for the Spain international as Juventus have opted against signing him.

The report claims that they do not want to pay the €35m (£30m) option included in his loan deal to make it permanent, which has opened the door for other teams.

Newcastle, Arsenal and Barcelona have all made enquiries as they consider making a swoop to sign the Atletico Madrid forward.

Big Chris Wood upgrade

Dan Ashworth, who recently arrived as the club’s sporting director, can seal a big upgrade on Wood by securing a deal to sign Morata this summer.

In two Serie A seasons on loan with the Old Lady, the Spaniard scored 20 goals and provided 16 assists, creating 20 ‘big chances’ in total.

He has proven at the top level that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis. Whilst he is not a prolific scorer in the style of a Karim Benzema or a Robert Lewandowski, he offers a scoring threat and a heap of creativity from a forward role.

Juventus boss Max Allegri hailed the attacker earlier this year, saying: “Morata is one of the best in Europe at a technical level, he struggles with his back to the goal, but if he goes diagonally, with into space, he’s better and brings his characteristics to the table. There are many of them.”

He has also proven his quality in La Liga and the Premier League, scoring 12 goals in 25 starts in his last season for Atletico and 16 goals and six assists in 35 starts for Chelsea. This shows that he can adapt to playing in different countries and teams, which suggests that he would be able to hit the ground running under Eddie Howe.

Meanwhile, Wood scored five goals and failed to provide a single assist in 32 starts in the 2021/22 campaign for Burnley and Newcastle combined.

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The 30-year-old struggled in front of goal and has never managed more than three assists in a season at the top level, which shows that he does not have the creativity to fall back on – as Morata does – if he is not scoring.

Therefore, signing the Atletico gem would represent a big upgrade on the New Zealand international and Ashworth must now work hard to pip the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal to his signature.

AND in other news, “Newcastle asked..”: Reporter delivers big transfer claim that’ll leave Howe excited…

West Brom had a fairly miserable 2020/21 season in the Premier League which saw them eventually suffer relegation straight back to the Championship after losing 22 of their 38 league games.

Despite their disappointing results, one player who could be seen as being a bright light for the Baggies during a difficult campaign was Conor Gallagher.

Having signed the midfielder on loan from Chelsea in the 2020 summer transfer window, the Englishman ended up making 30 league appearances for the Midlands club, chipping in with two goals and two assists in the process.

His assists at the time ended up being rather important – the first helped to secure a point against Manchester United, while the other sealed all three points against Brighton, both in February 2021. He also netted the winner against Sheffield United in November of that season.

At the end of his spell at The Hawthorns, the midfielder won the University of Wolverhampton Young Player of the Season award, highlighting how he managed to stand out in such a disheartening campaign for Albion.

Last summer saw the Chelsea youth starlet join another team on loan. This time it was Crystal Palace who secured the Englishman’s signature on a temporary basis until the end of the campaign.

With 25 league appearances under his belt at this stage of the season, the 22-year-old has quadrupled the number of goals he netted in a West Brom shirt, also providing one more assist with a significant number of games left to play.

One of his goals with the south London club caught the attention of Palace podcaster Dan Cook, who tweeted to his near-100k followers that the midfielder’s second goal against West Ham United last August was “outrageous.”

In addition to his impressive goal contributions, the midfielder has earned an overall performance rating of 7.26/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player in Patrick Vieira’s squad.

In October 2020, shortly after making the move on loan to the Hawthorns, Transfermarkt had Gallagher’s market value listed at £4.86m. It now stands at a massive £19.8m, which is an increase of 307%, presumably due to his respectable period at West Brom and storming season with Palace.

Taking all this into account, there will surely be plenty of Baggies fans wishing that their club were able to sign the Chelsea youngster on a permanent deal after his loan spell, believing that the Albion hierarchy made a mistake in not doing so.

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However, it seems likely that their relegation from the top flight would have worked against them in any attempts to convince the midfielder to pledge his future to the Midlands club.

In other news: Bruce could unearth WBA’s next Bartley in 19 y/o prodigy who “leads by example”

Newcastle United reportedly now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign AS Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s new Gascoigne?

Back in 2019, the player’s agent Claudio Vigorelli claimed that his client ‘resembles’ former Magpies midfielder Paul Gascoigne for his ‘physical qualities’ and can be ‘devastating’ like Gazza with his ‘technique and quality’ (The Daily Mail).

The former England international was a cult hero at St James’ Park, being their Player of the Year in the 1987/88 season, and scored 20 goals in 94 games in total for them across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Zaniolo is still only 22 years of age, and given the comparisons to Gazza, he seems to have a big future ahead of him.

The Latest: Opportunity comes around

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign Zaniolo for ‘significant amounts’ of money, with Tottenham Hotspur also an option for the Italy international.

However, they will not be able to sign him in the January transfer window, but a deal may be possible next summer.

The Verdict: Makes sense

With the Magpies currently in a relegation battle, it would make a lot of sense for them to wait until the summer before they can assess whether they can sign Zaniolo.

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Currently rated at £36m by 16 goals and provided a further nine assists in 87 matches for Roma, showing that he has an eye for a goal and an assist.

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At 22, he has so much potential, and if Newcastle can avoid relegation, he would certainly be an astute signing to target.

In other news, NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ with this DoF candidate

Having seen his Sheffield United side start their 2021/22 Championship campaign in rather disastrous fashion, with the Blades picking up just two points over their opening five fixtures of the season, Slavisa Jokanovic will now be sleeping much more soundly after securing United’s first win in the second tier.

And what a win it was, with two goals each from Iliman Ndiaye and Ben Osborn and further strikes by John Fleck and Morgan Gibbs-White sealing a resounding 6-2 victory against the recently promoted Peterborough United.

The latter of the Sheffield United goalscorers, Gibbs-White, particularly impressed, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee proving in the fixture that he more than has the ability to play a key role in Jokanovic’s push for promotion this season.

Key figure

Indeed, over the course of his 77 minutes on the pitch against Peterborough, it would have been difficult for the 21-year-old to turn in a more impressive display on his debut for the Blades, with the central midfielder scoring one goal, registering one assist and making one key pass.

The £6.3m-rated man also completed 100% of his attempted crosses and his attempted longs balls, won 67% of his duels, drew two fouls and made one tackle.

These returns saw the England U21 international earn a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 8.4, ranking him as the fifth-best player from either side to feature in the match.

And, with John Lundstram having left the Blades for Glasgow Rangers this summer, there was very much a hole that needed filling in the United midfield, something that, as long as he can maintain his level of performance against Posh over the course of the season, Gibbs-White appears more than capable of filling.

They might not directly be a similar type of players but after his departure, it was a huge void and loss to the Blades. Gibbs-White, however, has made them forget about the now Gers midfielder.

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However, not only does the man Chris Basham dubbed a “powerful” player have the ability to plug a gap for Jokanovic, he could well go on to prove the catalyst to fire his new side up the Championship table, and potentially all the way back to the Premier League.

In other news: Jokanovic must avoid January transfer disaster as reports emerge on SUFC “leader”

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass’ Sheffield Wednesday future is unlikely to be resolved until the players are paid.

The former Hull City striker revealed that the Owls squad haven’t been paid for more than two months, which could prove a barrier in deciding where his son will be playing his football next season.

Josh still has 12 months remaining on his Hillsborough contract, but has been the subject to recent interest from Championship outfit Millwall, who have had two bids knocked back.

The 27-year-old was the Owls’ standout player last season, scoring nine times and adding six assists – contributing to almost 40 percent of their league goals.

However, Josh’s impressive numbers couldn’t save Wednesday from slipping into the second-tier, which has led to serious doubts over his future.

But Windass has reiterated that despite interest from the Lions and other Championship, his son wants to remain with the club and would be happy to play in League One.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

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“It’s a difficult situation, because they’ve not been paid for two months, so I’m not sure what intentions Sheffield Wednesday have got.

“He’s happy to stay there if everything gets resolved. I don’t know the answer, obviously Darren Moore doesn’t want to lose him, but the players have got to get paid and once that gets resolved, the situation might change.”

Graham Roberts, the former Tottenham Hotspur captain, has told Football FanCast that the club and chairman Daniel Levy made a huge mistake by allowing Jan Vertonghen to leave the club last summer.

The Belgium international called time on an eight-year spell in north London last summer as he moved to Benfica in Portugal.

He has gone on to make 37 appearances in all competitions, and he remains an integral member of the Belgium squad, often captaining his country.

Spurs have struggled this season defensively, with Jose Mourinho repeatedly chopping and changing his backline, switching between the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier, Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez.

In their last six games, before Mourinho’s sacking, Spurs conceded 12 goals.

And Roberts believes that Vertonghen would have been perfect in a back-three for Spurs this season, as he continually shows for Benfica and Belgium that he remains a more-than-competent defender.

He told FFC: “But I think the biggest factor for us was we lost Jan Vertonghen in the summer and I don’t think Jan’s legs had gone.

“I think in a back three he would have been absolutely perfect. Him, Toby, and you could have played Sanchez or Rodon in between them to cover.

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“They would have the legs. But we didn’t, we let him go, and he’s now playing for Benfica and he’s playing for the national team every international game. That was our loss I think.”

Vertonghen made a total of 315 appearances for Spurs.

David Moyes has confirmed that West Ham United striker Michail Antonio will be fit to face Aston Villa on Wednesday night after a brief injury scare.

The Irons boss had been forced to withdraw Antonio in the closing stages of Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Liverpool, sparking fears of another spell on the sidelines for the 30-year-old.

West Ham have already been without their star attacker for eight Premier League fixtures this season, with him having sustained two separate hamstring injuries between October and December.

Antonio made his first start since returning from injury in last month’s 1-0 win at home to Burnley, in which he scored the only goal, before netting the winner over West Bromwich Albion next time out for his fifth goal of the campaign.

Only Tomas Soucek (7) has scored more for West Ham in the top-flight this term than Antonio, who Moyes has confirmed is showing no signs of an injury following the Liverpool game.

“I think everything is OK,” Moyes said. “We have a couple of knocks and niggles which we’ll look at in training this morning but, overall, everything seems to be OK.

“Mick is OK. We’re pleased he’s come through recent games well and he seems OK.”

Moyes added that January arrival Jesse Lingard, signed on loan from Manchester United, will be available to make his West Ham debut at Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

“Jesse Lingard’s fitness levels are fine. He’s a lean boy and doesn’t carry any weight so he’s in good shape, and I am sure Manchester United would have kept him in good condition as well,” Moyes added.

“More than anything for Jesse, it’s just if he’s completely match ready to play, but you only get that by playing matches as well. As long as everything is fine, I hope to have him involved. We’ll have him in and around the squad, but will he start? I couldn’t confirm that, and I wouldn’t confirm it anyway.”

Antonio being passed fit to play at Villa Park is exactly the news that Moyes will have wanted to hear ahead of West Ham’s midweek trip to Birmingham, having failed to sign a supporting striker in the winter transfer window.

The Hammers chose against signing a replacement for Sebastien Haller following the Ivory Coast international’s £20m move to AFC Ajax, with Moyes adamant that he would not splash out “just for the sake of it”.

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His decision has left Antonio as the only senior striker at the London Stadium, and losing him for another lengthy period would seriously threaten their hopes of qualifying for European competition, with the Irons currently fifth in the Premier League table.

Moyes was already forced to rely on midfielder Soucek coming up with the goals to beat Crystal Palace as Antonio endured an off night at Selhurst Park last week, and again saw the forward cut a frustrated figure against Liverpool.

But it is one thing having an off game or two and your teammates having to step up, but managing without an out-and-out striker for a long period of time is a completely different kettle of fish. Luckily for Moyes, though, that is not what West Ham will have to endure.

AND in other news, West Ham eye future swoop for prolific £30m striker with “absolutely superb” movement…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho isn’t going to be short of options in the engine room next season, but there can be no harm in landing further additions, especially if they are shades of Spurs great Mousa Dembele…

What’s the word?

According to Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX, Sampdoria midfielder Ronaldo Vieira is becoming quite an attractive target for teams in the Premier League due to foreign player regulations.

The 22-year-old came through at Leeds United and has featured for the England U21 squad, so he would count as homegrown when the tighter restrictions come into place.

Everton, Leicester City and Southampton are all also keen with the Serie A outfit likely to accept a bid of around €10m (£9m) for his services.

Dembele-like enforcer

Whilst this move won’t send excitement to those in north London, it would still be a very smart decision to make as Mourinho only has one defensive-minded option in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Vieira has become a regular in the Serie A at such a young age and that sort of physically imposing league could prepare him well for life in the English top-flight.

This season, the 22-year-old made 29 appearances where he averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.8 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

These numbers may not jump off the screen, but under someone like Mourinho, the former Leeds enforcer can become Spurs’ next Dembele as they appear to be in a very similar mould.

Which is backed up by Marcelo Bielsa, who once likened him to Kalvin Phillips – his specialist anchorman – whilst Ian Holloway labelled him “different class” after one defeat as QPR boss.

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For just £9m, Mourinho would get valuable squad depth and a chance to develop an exciting young talent into what Spurs have been missing for the past year or so.

AND in other news, Spurs fans hail young sensation’s pre-season display against Ipswich…

West Brom were dumped out of the FA Cup at the fifth round stage on Tuesday night, meaning they can now firmly put their sights towards earning promotion back to the Premier League.

That appeared to be Slaven Bilic’s thinking anyway as he made nine changes to the side that lost to Wigan in the league just three days earlier.

The likes of Gareth Barry, Chris Brunt and Charlie Austin were gifted rare opportunities while Kieran Gibbs made his comeback from injury.

Newcastle quickly racked up a 3-0 lead before the Croatian’s second-half substitutions nearly inspired a comeback with Filip Krovinovic proving influential.

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed as fans were left with nothing but praise for the playmaker.

Here’s what has been said…

The Croatian’s impact was lauded by so many fans at the Hawthorns with glowing endorsements such as being “different gravy” and the “best player on the pitch” emphasising just how much he swung the game in their favour.

Per SofaScore, Krovinovic recorded three key passes in just 33 minutes of action and he also managed two successful dribbles, an 87% passing accuracy and even won 62.5% of his duels both on the ground and aerially.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Others described the 24-year-old as a “revelation” as well as a “game-changer.”

He’s currently on loan from Benfica but the Baggies do not have an option to buy, as revealed by Steve Madeley last month.

Plenty would love to see the club clinch him in the summer despite this…

One supporter claimed his signature was a “MUST” before next season whilst others labelled him as “immense” and “class”.

His standout display has led to further suggestions that he would suit Premier League football, which is ultimately Albion’s end goal from this campaign.

And they have every chance of achieving that as they still occupy top spot in the Championship, holding a six-point advantage over those in the playoff positions.

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His potential exploits in the top-flight have been signalled out by some fans…

“His style of play would suit the Prem,” said one, while another brandished him as “amazing.”

Clearly, those at the Hawthorns would love the long-haired midfielder to stick around past his current deal. Only time will tell if they can even do that, and whether or not it’ll be in the Premier League.

From non-League to the Premier League: Where did these top-flight stars begin their careers?

And in other news, Dowling’s summer priorities are already staring him right in the face…