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Neil Critchley was finally confirmed as QPR’s new manager last Sunday, and the former Blackpool boss will have some big decisions to make at Loftus Road in January.

Having been top of the Championship in October, the Hoops now find themselves ninth in the standings with a negative goal difference after some woeful recent form.

In their last six league games, the west London outfit have managed no wins, only one draw and five losses, with just one goal scored and 10 conceded, which sees them ranked as the most out-of-form team in the league.

Therefore, it is clear that Critchley has a big job on his hands if he is to get the R’s back into promotion contention, and the 44-year-old will need to be ruthless with some of his decisions if he wants to progress with his new club.

One such decision should be to get rid of veteran winger Albert Adomah.

The former Aston Villa man, who turned 35 yesterday, has just one goal in 17 appearances for the Hoops so far this season (14 of those as a substitute), averaging a shocking 6.15 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Championship.

The Ghanaian forward is something of a fans’ favourite at Loftus Road, having made 89 appearances for QPR in total, contributing five goals and nine assists in that time.

He also enamoured himself to the fan base by celebrating with the away end after a penalty shootout win over Leyton Orient in one of the first matches back with fans in attendance in August 2021 after the pandemic had prevented supporters from following the Hoops in person.

However, football is a ruthless business, and he simply doesn’t offer enough on the pitch anymore. That is emphasised by his woeful average rating this season, which ranks him as only the 21st-best performer at Loftus Road.

Considering that he is one of the best-paid players at the club, earning £12.5k per week, Critchley should definitely look to get rid before Adomah’s contract expires in the summer of 2024. Otherwise, he risks costing QPR a significant sum of money despite being a fringe player who is no longer good enough for Championship football at this point in his career.

Liverpool have been tipped to beat their Premier League rivals to the signing of Borussia Dortmund and England star Jude Bellingham by Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie. 

The Lowdown: Talisman status

Captaining Borussia Dortmund at the age of 19 is one thing, but becoming a talisman for your respective club and country is another. 

It’s these two feats which highlight the outstanding generational quality of Bellingham, with his star continuously rising with each performance for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

His sky-high potential is reflected in reports of a £130m price tag from Dortmund, with Liverpool being continuously linked with the Englishman in recent months.

The Latest: McAvennie’s claim

According to McAvennie, Liverpool may hold an edge over their rivals in Chelsea and Manchester City amidst the chase for Bellingham because Jurgen Klopp will, in his view, likely grant the youngster much more creative leeway than City manager Pep Guardiola.

Asked whether this was the case by Football Insider, the 62-year-old replied: “I think so. I think he will get more game time at Liverpool. He will be number one there.

“I think Jurgen will give him a lot more freedom. He will let him go and play whereas everything with Pep is rigid, you have to do it his way. It is brilliant, do not get me wrong, but it is a bit rigid. You do it his way or you are out.

“I just think he will be an absolute superstar star at Liverpool. If it is for football reasons he will go to Liverpool.“

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The Verdict: An ambitious statement

In a complete footballing sense, protégé of Johan Cruyff and Marcelo Bielsa, Guardiola implements freedom and thrives on rotation in attack. 

If anything, it is this less rigid system in which Bellingham would thrive, with both central midfielders true number 8’s in the Spaniard’s setup. 

It is at Liverpool where things would be more rigid in a tactical sense, although this does not mean that Bellingham could not thrive under Klopp.

The midfielders are slightly more conservative at Anfield, with Klopp intent on achieving numerical superiority through both full-backs. As such, central spaces are occupied and midfielders are not as advanced. 

It is therefore arguable that Bellingham would do better in Manchester City’s system than Liverpool’s.

Former Everton manager David Moyes is reportedly eyeing a move to sign Michael Keane for West Ham United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Lack of game-time

The 29-year-old has suffered from a lack of game-time under Frank Lampard so far this season, having made just three first-team appearances (Transfermarkt).

The last of those came in the 4-1 loss at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in midweek, where he put in a disappointing performance.

The Latest: Approach made

As per Football Insider, West Ham have made an ‘approach’ to sign Keane in January and have officially ‘registered their interest’.

The Irons were interested in signing the Everton defender in the summer and are now ‘back in’ for him, with Moyes thought to be a ‘huge admirer’ of the 29-year-old.

The Goodison Park outfit are ‘willing to listen to offers’ for Keane of around £10m.

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The Verdict: Sell him

Given his lack of game-time, the Toffees should be looking to cash in on Keane in January if they get the chance.

Having brought in both Conor Coady and James Tarkowski in the summer, Frank Lampard has no fewer than six senior centre-back options in the Everton squad at the moment, which is more than enough to be able to let Keane go.

He is currently earning £80,000 per week at Goodison Park, making him one of the higher earners in the squad, and getting him off of the wage bill could also free up some significant funds for one or two January moves.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is determined to win a trophy with the club, although quitting cannot be ruled out if the Spurs hierarchy fail to meet his demands, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

THE LOWDOWN: CONTE COMMITTED TO SPURS…FOR NOW

Having taken Tottenham from eighth upon his arrival to the club to third in the Premier League as of now and top of their Champions League group, it’s fair to say that Conte has worked his magic in N17 inside 12 months of his appointment.

His efforts were noticed by Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, who emerged as prospective suitors for him earlier this year, although the Italian rebuffed that interest, demonstrating his commitment to achieving success at Spurs.

However, with Conte’s current contract at Tottenham expiring next summer, there may be some concern that he is yet to commit his long-term future to the club.

THE LATEST: SHETH’S CLAIM ON CONTE

Sheth spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the situation surrounding Conte at Spurs, claiming that the Italian will want to abide by his objective of winning silverware for whatever club he manages.

The journalist said of the 53-year-old: “He wants to make sure he wins a trophy because he does it at every single club that he goes to and that’s his calling card, ‘I will bring you a trophy’.

“So, I think he would want to do that before he even thinks about leaving to deliver a trophy at Tottenham, but we all know how Antonio Conte works, if something is not right, be it with recruitment or be it with the challenge for a title or trophies is not good, he’s got history and will leave that club, but Tottenham will 100 per cent want to keep him.”

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THE VERDICT: THE RIGHT MAN

Having turned Spurs back into a Champions League club once more and vastly improved their league position, Conte has shown that he is the right man for the job and should be backed by Daniel Levy with the fast-approaching winter transfer window in mind, if that is what may be needed to turn Tottenham from trophy contenders into winners.

Ultimately, the club should learn from the mistake they made by sacking Jose Mourinho a week before the Carabao Cup final in 2021 and afford Conte ample time and due backing to deliver silverware to a club which has been starved of it for 14 seasons and counting.

Dick Advocaat brought the good times back at Glasgow Rangers following the demise of the legendary nine-in-a-row side.

The 1998 appointment of the Dutchman gave the Ibrox side a new lease of life, as they embarked on a trophy-laden two-year spell, winning five out of the six domestic trophies available to them.

It all started to unravel in season 2000/2001 however, with Celtic, having appointed Martin O’Neil as their new manager, sweeping the board, and leaving Rangers to lick their wounds.

The Dutchman’s transfer business was also poor that season, with one particular signing proving to be a giant waste of money…

Marcus Gayle proved to be a poor investment

Rangers signed Gayle from Wimbledon for a fee of £1m, a decent sum for a 30-year-old approaching the end of his career.

His arrival in March 2001 meant he only had a few matches left of the season to prove his worth to Advocaat, but the Englishman didn’t exactly get much of a chance.

Having scored 34 goals in the Premier League, there was hope he could shine in Scotland, however, Gayle played just four matches and failed to score in any of them.

As quick as he arrived at the club, the striker was departing, with Watford sealing a deal to bring the Jamaican international back to England for £900k and playing for another 6 years.

It was a strange transfer and there is no doubt if he had been given longer, Gayle would have showcased his goalscoring abilities.

The 52-year-old looks back fondly at his time in Glasgow however, saying:

“I could probably have done with that move two years previously but I cherished the experience I had.”

Who knows what might have happened had he moved while at the peak of his powers back in 1999, but Advocaat made a big howler by bringing him to the club.

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Cody Gakpo to Elland Road.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Dutch publication Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following the Whites’ failed attempts to convince the PSV Eindhoven forward of a switch to LS11 in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, Victor Orta could be handed a second opportunity to land the 23-year-old in either January’s or next summer’s market.

The report goes on to state that this is down to the fact that, due to the Eredivisie side’s current financial situation, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side will be forced to sell either Gakpo or Ibrahim Sangare before July 1 of next year in order to help balance their books.

Their answer to Haaland?

Considering that Fabrizio Romano reported that Leeds are “determined to try again in January” for Gakpo shortly after missing out on the winger’s signing this summer, coupled with just how impressive the 23-year-old has been in the Netherlands so far this season, Orta simply must do all he can to take advantage of PSV’s financial situation in order to finally land the attacker.

Indeed, over his eight Eredivisie appearances in 2022/23, the £31.5m-rated talent has been in extraordinary form, having already scored eight goals, registered six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 4.1 shots – 56% of which have hit the target – making 4.3 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £7.4k-per-week forward average a simply breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 8.70, not only ranking him as Van Nistelrooy’s best performer in the league but also by far and away as the best player in the Dutch top flight as a whole so far this season.

For comparison, they seem to mirror that of Erling Haaland – the Premier League’s top scorer – who is having a similarly eye-brow-raising campaign.

Throughout his eight league fixtures in 2022/23, the £135m-rated striker has scored 14 goals, registered three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 4.1 shots – 61% of which have hit the target – making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the Norway international average a quite ridiculous SofaScore match rating of 8.20, ranking him as the best player in both the Manchester City squad and the Premier League as a whole – but still falling short of Gakpo.

As such, with it being evident just how talented a forward the €45m (£39m) player who Josh Bunting dubbed both “electric” and “absolutely outstanding” truly is, Orta simply must do everything in his power to convince Gakpo of a move to Elland Road either this winter or next summer – as the Netherlands international could well prove to become Leeds’ own Haaland – a goalscoring monster capable of producing exhilarating displays in English football.

Scottish champions Celtic look set to see promising goalkeeper Rory Mahady leave Parkhead this summer, with the 16-year-old seemingly on his way to Leeds United.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Yorkshire-based outfit have ‘agreed a deal’ to bring the teenager to Elland Road, with the young Scotsman said to have agreed personal terms ahead of his impending departure.

The report suggests that Jesse Marsch’s side have won the race for his signature ahead of Manchester City, with the ‘keeper set to sign on a scholarship deal with the Whites before securing a professional contract once he turns 17.

The piece goes on to add that the Hoops wanted to keep the promising talent in Glasgow, although he has been tempted into making the switch to the Premier League.

Hjelde repeat

It would not be the first time that Ange Postecoglou and co have seen a talented youth product poached by a club south of the border in recent times, with Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde having also traded the Old Firm outfit for Leeds last summer.

There is seemingly a growing trend concerning young prospects opting to move to England in their teenage years, with Celtic having also lost 16-year-old forward Ben Doak to Liverpool earlier this year

Bitter rivals Rangers also saw striking sensation Rory Wilson link up with Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, with Scottish Premiership clubs no doubt frustrated by continually seeing such exciting talents hoovered up by Premier League clubs.

Mahady looks set to be yet another to follow that well-trodden path, with the Scotland U17 international set to be a notable loss having been dubbed ‘one of the best young keepers in Britain’, as per the Daily Record.

At a club such as Celtic which is famed for its production of particularly local, Scottish talent – with the icon Lisbon Lions a testament to that youth system – it will be of great concern that the pathway between the academy and the first-team is being disrupted by rival interest.

With Brexit rules seeing those in the Premier League turn their attention towards the SPFL for the next wave of superstars, it appears that the case of the likes of Mahady and Hjelde is only set to become the norm as the years progress.

Everton have made five new signings this summer so far but are still in the market for a new striker before the transfer window closes, and now a potential transfer target has been identified.

What’s the latest?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are one of four Premier League clubs interested in signing RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

As per the report, the Toffees join Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City in their interest of acquiring the services of the popular player this summer.

Strasbourg are willing to sell their player before the transfer window closes but the asking price is believed to be £18m.

He could be Lukaku 2.0

Everton are in desperate need of a new striker at Goodison Park, with the side having to start their Premier League season without one in their opener against Chelsea last weekend following an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon serving a one-match suspension from last season.

With Calvert-Lewin missing for at least the next six weeks, it would make perfect sense for the Toffees to bring in a striker that can fit seamlessly into his role as Lampard would have had a style of play in mind throughout pre-season to enhance the striker’s chances of converting chances in front of goal.

As a result, finding a striker who is a similar profile of player as the 25-year-old would be the most advantageous option for the Toffees to get stuck straight into picking up points in the Premier League over the coming fixtures where Calvert-Lewin will be certainly missing and Ajorque could be the perfect fit.

The hulking 6 foot 6 goal machine who was hailed a “complete player” by Julian Stephan has been dominating his opponents with ease over in Ligue 1, scoring 12 goals, delivering eight assists and creating an impressive 11 big chances over 36 appearances last season.

Ajorque has no trouble using his stature when causing trouble for the players he comes up against with the player ranking in the top 3% for tackles compared to his positional peers in the top five European Leagues over the last 12 months, as well as ranking inside the top 10% for aerial duels won.

With that in mind, Everton could even land their next Romelu Lukaku, a player the club has struggled to replace since he left Goodison Park. During his time on Merseyside, he bagged 87 goals and delivered 29 assists over 166 appearances, with a goal contribution every 120 minutes for the Merseysiders.

Just like Ajorque, Lukaku also uses his wiry 6 foot 2 stature to knock players off the ball and win possession in the air in the final third with the striker completing the majority of his aerial duels (52%) last season at Chelsea, something that the Frenchman can now emulate if Everton can secure a deal.

With that being said, the signing of Ajorque could be a big addition for Everton, but they will need to act fast as they need a striker as soon as possible in order to boost their hopes of staying in the division.

A report from Africa has shared an interesting transfer update involving Tottenham Hotspur and a brand new target in Ajax sensation Mohammed Kudus.

The Lowdown: Paratici’s busiest summer yet…

The Lilywhites have been busy behind-the-scenes as sporting director Fabio Paratici and co gear up for what is perhaps their most crucial Premier League campaign in some time.

Antonio Conte’s first full season in charge of Spurs will attract many eyes to N17, especially after their hectic window thus far in which they’ve managed to sign and seal six new players.

Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Clement Lenglet, Richarlison and Djed Spence arrive in north London to seriously bolster the Italian’s options with links emerging to more potential incomings.

The Latest: Spurs believe they can ‘poach’ Kudus…

Now, as per a report from overseas, Spurs believe they can Ajax starlet Kudus.

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Indeed, it is claimed by GhanaWeb that Paratici and co are ‘aiming to secure’ the 22-year-old and have ‘monitored’ him over the last six months.

Going further, the source states that Tottenham ‘believes’ Kudus’ current lack of playing time ‘could help’ their efforts to ‘poach him’ from Amsterdam.

The Verdict: Make the move?

While the Ghana international struggled for fitness and regular minutes last season, we believe it is no surprise Spurs are interested given the attacker’s real potential.

Journalists from Kudus’ homeland have been quick to point out his ‘incredible’ pre-season for Ajax and have tipped the player to have a ‘big year’ in the Eredivisie (Owuraku Ampofo).

BBC reporter John Bennet is another to have raved over the attacking midfield man, calling him Ghana’s ‘new star’ after watching their recent World Cup qualifier against Nigeria (via Ghana Web).

London World correspondent Rahman Osman, commenting on his country’s crop of emerging talent, also pointed out Kudus as one of Ghana’s ‘really exciting’ young players coming through.

It’s clear how highly-rated the player is and it’s hardly a surprise Spurs are now paying close attention.

Ben Jacobs has dropped an update on the future of reported Leeds United transfer target Arnaud Kalimuendo.

What’s the word?

In a recent post on Twitter, the CBS journalist revealed that, despite previous reports claiming that Paris Saint-Germain would be willing to part with the centre-forward for a figure in the region of €25m (£21m) this summer, he has now been informed that the 20-year-old’s exit is no longer a given, as the France U21 international has highly impressed Christophe Galtier in pre-season.

Jacobs goes on to state that, while the Ligue 1 champions have recently secured the signing of Stade de Reims forward Hugo Ekitike on a season-long loan with an option to buy, Kalimuendo is doing all he can to convince the PSG manager that he is worthy of a place in the Les Parisiens first team squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Leeds remain very interested in Arnaud Kalimuendo but a deal is not a given even with Hugo Ekitike’s arrival in Paris. Told Kalimuendo has impressed Galtier. He’s in the squad for the Japan pre-season tour and doing all he can to stay in Paris.”

Orta will be fuming

Considering the fact it was previously reported that Victor Orta had all but been given the green light to seal a deal for Kalimuendo this summer, Jacobs’ latest update is sure to be news that will have left the Whites’ director of football fuming.

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Indeed, it is not difficult to understand why the Spaniard is keen on a deal to bring the 20-year-old to Elland Road ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign, as Kalimuendo is quite clearly an extremely exciting prospect.

Over the course of his £16.2m-rated forward highly impressed, scoring 19 goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.85 dribbles per game.

These returns played a huge role in Les Sang et Or securing back-to-back seventh place finishes in the Ligue 1 table, a quite extraordinary feat for a club who were only promoted to the top tier of French football after finishing second in Ligue 2 back in 2019/20.

As such, when taking into account his age, prolific nature in the final third and extremely reasonable asking price, it would very much appear as if Kalimuendo would make something of a perfect addition to Jesse Marsch’s attacking options this summer – leading us to believe that the latest twist in Orta’s pursuit of the 20-year-old is sure to have come as a gutting blow to all involved with the Whites.

AND in other news: In talks: Orta closing in on deal for “special talent”, Leeds supporters will love it