Category Uncategorized

Pundit Alan Hutton has been reacting to speculation linking Leeds United with a move for Moussa Dembele.

The Lowdown: Whites well-placed

The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for the Lyon man in recent days. Reports have claimed that Leeds are ahead of relegation rivals Southampton in the race for the 26-year-old’s services and are well-placed to sign the Frenchman, so long as they remain in the top flight.

Dembele’s contract expires in the summer, meaning he could make the move to Yorkshire for free, providing his situation remains unchanged.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Football Insider pundit Hutton, who contributes regularly for the BBC, was asked about Dembele and Leeds. He appeared to back a potential free transfer and said that the Whites ‘will be buzzing’ with anyone who can come in and ‘make them better’.

“At the end of the day they are a Premier League outfit at this moment in time.

“It is a position that they need options, especially if they are going to get out of the situation that they are in.

“It is a difficult one for them at the moment, they are down at the bottom, they do not have a manger, what direction is the club going in? Leeds United

“Jesse Marsch was brought in because he was liked by Bielsa and they played that kind of style. I am kind of confused by the direction that they are going in at this moment in time.

“But anybody that can come in and make them better I am sure they will be buzzing with.”

The Verdict: Needed?

Leeds have struggled for goals in recent weeks, scoring twice in their last five Premier League games. Top scorer Rodrigo is currently sidelined through injury, leaving Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter as the only available centre-forward options.

You’d expect that new manager Javi Gracia will need the pair to fire between now and the end of the season to give Leeds a chance of survival, and should they avoid the drop, a move for someone like Dembele could be a wise move.

He scored 21 times in Ligue 1 last season and has enjoyed success in front of goal for a number of different clubs in a variety of countries. Still just 26 years of age, he could be a solid addition to the squad, especially when you consider he has an €18m (£16m) Transfermarkt valuation.

YouTuber Conor McGilligan has slammed Leeds United for not knowing beforehand that Andoni Iraola was unwilling to join at this stage of the season.

What’s the latest on Andoni Iraola to Leeds?

As per The Guardian, the Rayo Vallecano manager is not prepared to abandon his current club midway through their campaign and so any possible move to the Premier League will have to wait until the summer.

As a result, the wait to appoint a successor to  Jesse Marsch is set to continue with Michael Skubala will carry on as the Whites’ interim manager for their “upcoming fixtures”.

Seeing as a number of managers seem to have turned down approaches by Leeds, it doesn’t reflect well on the club and McGilligan seems to think it points to a lack of “preplanning”.

While speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, he said: “You don’t really want a manager who’s out of work and I hear the argument of Iraola. I hear the argument of Leeds had a target straight away in him. I understand that.

“But why has there been so many complications? Why are we facing these obstacles and problems when it comes to Rayo Vallecano? Why did Leeds not know that?

“Why did Leeds not know that after they sacked Jesse Marsch? They should have already understood prior that it was going to be difficult to get Iraola in. It was going to be difficult to get [Marcelo] Gallardo in.”But they don’t. There’s no preplanning, there’s no anticipation of these things. It’s just, ‘oh we’ll stumble on it, and then we’ll stumble on someone else, and then we’ll stumble on someone else’.” What does the Iraola situation mean for Leeds?

McGilligan also name-checks Gallardo. The former River Plate boss is a free agent but only wants to take charge of a new club at the end of this season.

With Iraola also not keen to join at this stage, it certainly does beg the question as to why Leeds didn’t know this would be the case for two of their primary targets before making approaches to land them.

Marsch’s time with the club had been on a downward trajectory for some time and so it was not a shock when he was fired, leaving the club in a relegation battle.

With that in mind, the Leeds hierarchy should have had a number of candidates in mind to take over but it seems as though their shortlist was full of unrealistic names such as Iraola and Gallardo who were never going to join at this moment in time.

As a result, they will now have to hope Skubala can help steady the ship even though he’s inexperienced and has never managed a team at such a high level before.

Arsenal remain interested in Youri Tielemans but face competition from a Premier League rival…

What’s the word?

According to the Express, the Gunners are one of the teams keen on the Leicester City midfielder but Manchester United are one to ‘keep an eye on’ heading into the final few hours of the January transfer window.

With six months to run on his current £120k-per-week deal at the King Power, the Red Devils are said to be admirers, though the north London outfit are still in the race as they look unlikely to secure a move for the £80m-rated Moises Caicedo.

Better than Jorginho?

It’s thought that Arsenal chief Edu Gaspar is closing in on a £12m deal for out-of-contract Chelsea star Jorginho ahead of 11pm this evening but he could be missing a trick by not signing Tielemans, who was valued at around double that (£25m) during the summer.

Just like the Italian, the Belgian international is out of contract in the summer, making him a viable and bargain target in January and given he’s still only 25, he’d very much fit the typical profile of player that Mikel Arteta wants in his squad, compared to the 31-year-old.

Once described as a “phenomenon” by former Anderlecht ace Par Zetterberg, Tielemans is a more advanced type of midfielder – very much in the mould of a Thomas Partey or Granit Xhaka, making him an even better alternative as he should have no trouble in slotting in when needed.

Going forward, the Foxes maestro has delivered 28 goals and 25 assists across 184 appearances in the Midlands, via Transfermarkt, whilst he has averaged at least 2.2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game in each of the last two (and a half) seasons, per WhoScored.

It is perhaps why talkSPORT pundit Hal Robson-Kanu once hailed Tielemans as the “perfect” signing for the Premier League frontrunners to make.

“I’ve played against him first-hand. He’s a top-four player. His manipulation of the ball, the way he dictates the play, he will move the ball through the lines and receives the ball in tight areas,” he said.

“He will penetrate and hurt the opposition from a deeper place. That’s something for Arsenal fans, and the way they want to play, he would have been perfect for them.”

Given the evidence above, the Leicester star could well be worth pursuing before the transfer deadline this evening, regardless of Jorginho’s likely arrival.

He’d be a far better long-term fit for Arteta and the squad and one capable of making an instant impact, considering his experience and form in recent years.

In bringing Tielemans to the Emirates so late on, Edu could well seal a deadline-day masterclass.

AND in other news, Edu could secure perfect Partey alternative in Arsenal swoop for £26m “special talent”…

West Bromwich Albion are back in action tonight as they face the replay of their FA Cup third-round clash against Chesterfield.

The Baggies are looking to translate their blistering Championship form into a prolonged cup run, with relegation no longer a serious threat. Carlos Corberan has made sure of that, leading his side to nine wins in their last ten league games as they now sit in a play-off spot, which is miraculous given their trajectory under Steve Bruce.

However, their winning run was surprisingly halted in the original third-round clash, as the plucky National League side put up quite the fight earlier this month.

Despite taking an early lead, West Brom were pegged back within five minutes before they surged in front again during a frenetic opening 17 minutes. Then, in a crazy turn of events, Chesterfield hit back to take a 3-2 lead themselves, which they held until a last-gasp equaliser from Brandon Thomas-Asante forced tonight’s replay.

However, in the run-up to that goal, the 24-year-old has since been retrospectively suspended for three matches due to ‘violent conduct’. Corberan admitted that he “cannot argue” with the decision, and as such the ex-Salford man will certainly not start against the team that he terrorised with two goals.

There was another key player in the Baggies’ comeback against Chesterfield, with Karlan Grant scoring one goal, setting up another and earning an 8.1 Sofascore rating for his display. This was narrowly shy of the Baggies’ best performer, the aforementioned and now suspended Thomas-Asante.

Despite Daryl Dike also impressing since his return from injury, with two goals in his last two league games, it is likely still too early to be subjecting the American to the full effect of the taxing fixture schedule.

Although this has been a poor season for the former Huddersfield Town man, with just three Championship goals to his name, he retains the quality which has made him a consistent threat in that division.

It was only last season that he netted 18 times in the second tier, while he scored 19 in his final campaign for the Terriers in 2019/20. This led former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips to suggest that Grant could soon be regarded as a “hero” at The Hawthorns, should he maintain such goalscoring form.

The 25-year-old is a consistent striker for this level, albeit one who is desperately scrambling for confidence. These cup matches against lower-league opposition could be instrumental in reigniting that spark and getting him firing again.

Grant has already terrorised Chesterfield with his goal against them ten days ago, and having not featured against Luton at the weekend, Corberan must recall him once again tonight.

Journalist Joshua Barrie, who contributes on Sky Sports, has claimed that Rangers transfer target Todd Cantwell will be ‘more than capable’ of making a good impression in Scotland despite some ‘difficult’ recent years.

What’s the word?

With the January transfer market now open, rumours are beginning to grow stronger by the day as numerous players are linked with exciting new moves.

For instance, it has recently been reported that Rangers could be looking to add the Norwich City midfielder to their ranks this winter, while Tom Davies of Everton was also named as a target.

Amid all this talk, Barrie has backed Cantwell to rediscover his best form in the Scottish Premiership if he was to arrive and insisted that both midfielders could have a good impact on the team.

Speaking on The Rangers Review, he said: “Cantwell kind of seems to have had a difficult couple of years in his career. But you’re right, he was so coveted and performing well for Norwich when they were in the Championship and going up to the Premier League for a reason.

“I think, technically, of course, they’d be more than capable of coming up to the Scottish Premiership and making an imprint.”

Career kickstart

It wasn’t that long ago that Cantwell was being linked with a move to Premier League giants Liverpool – with some fans evening begging for a transfer back in 2020.

However, that move never came to pass and the 24-year-old failed to impress on a subsequent loan to Bournemouth, scoring no goals and providing no assists in 12 games.

This term, with Norwich he has failed to rediscover his goalscoring touch too, but at least gets regular minutes with 18 Championship outings so far.

Certainly, the past few seasons have not gone well for a player once so highly rated. However, Cantwell is still fairly young and is obviously talented, so it might well be a deal worth chasing for Rangers.

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Manchester United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and the 25-year-old could solve a big issue in Julen Lopetegui’s side.

It has been widely reported in recent days that the Old Gold are keen on signing the former Crystal Palace man when the transfer window reopens in January, with a loan deal seemingly on the cards.

Wan-Bissaka looks almost certain to leave Old Trafford in January after making just one substitute appearance under new manager Erik ten Hag in the first half of the season, and Wolves could be the ones to benefit.

Since making his £50m switch to Old Trafford in 2019, the right-back, who earns £90k per week, has gone on to make 127 appearances for the Red Devils, contributing two goals and ten assists in that time.

While he has come under criticism for his lack of attacking output during his time with the club, he has always been considered a very tough player to beat one-on-one, and it is his strong defensive abilities that could make him so valuable to Lopetegui.

In 2019, the young defender was labelled “unstoppable” by journalist Dave O’Grady, while Jamie Carragher dubbed him “the best one-on-one full-back in the world,” which emphasises what he could add at Molineux.

Right-back has been a problem area for the Midlands club since Matt Doherty’s exit in 2020, with Nelson Semedo and Jonny both struggling there so far this season, emphasised by WhoScored ranking them as the eighth and 18th-best performers at Molineux.

If the Old Gold are to get out of trouble this season, they need to rediscover the defensive form they showed in the first half of the last campaign, which had them challenging for a European spot despite their lack of attacking prowess.

It is telling that Wolves’ two wins this season have both come via 1-0 triumphs at Molineux against Southampton and Nottingham Forest respectively, so keeping clean sheets has to be the aim for Lopetegui when Premier League fixtures resume.

Wan-Bissaka’s form last season at United, when he ranked top for tackles and interceptions per game in the Red Devils’ squad, suggests that he can be key to solving Wolves’ defensive woes in the second half of the campaign.

Therefore, Lopetegui should definitely bring the 25-year-old defender to Molineux in next month’s transfer window.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping to strengthen his Arsenal side when the January transfer window opens and he will be making good use of the World Cup break to assess exactly where his squad needs to improve.

Its most likely Arteta will bring in a central midfielder, with Adrien Rabiot recently being linked, however, there may be a surprise move for Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane, with journalist Dean Jones telling Football FanCast that the Spaniard could utilise his links with the German player from their time together at Manchester City:

“I think there are some nice links between the two.

“And I think in an ideal world, Arsenal would love a signing like Sane to come into the squad for the second half of the season.”

Sane can be Arteta’s own Vinicius Jr

According to Bild (via Teamtalk), Arsenal were linked with Sane during the summer, although Bayern valued the player at £59m and this type of fee might be required to prise him away from the Bundesliga champions in January.

He could be Arteta’s own Vinicius Jr, however, with the two players displaying extremely similar statistics. According to FBref, the Brazilian is third most similar to Sane across Europe’s top five leagues, and considering the impact the youngster has had at Real Madrid recently, it isn’t a bad comparison to have.

This season has seen the two players register very similar statistics with regard to goal contributions (9 to 8), shot-on-target percentage (42.5% to 41.7%), and goal-creating actions per match (0.66 to 0.64).

This proves that the two forwards both excel in the final third and Sane could give Arteta another attacking option that would surely improve his squad.

Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann has even dubbed the 26-year-old as “unbelievable” and with the form that he is in recently, it might prove to be difficult to tempt him back to the Premier League.

Although if Arsenal win the title and secure Champions League football for next season, Arteta may just have a greater chance of landing the former City gem, and what a coup it would be.

Transfer expert Dean Jones says that both Michael Keane and Moise Kean are ‘heading towards the exit door’ at Everton.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

Keane has only played a mere 22 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, having fallen behind summer arrivals Conor Coady and James Tarkowski in the centre-back pecking order on Merseyside.

Meanwhile, Kean has not played at Goodison Park since obligation to buy him at the end of this season.

The Latest: Double exit?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones says that Keane and Kean are ‘heading towards the exit door’ at the Toffees in 2023:

“Yeah, I mean, they’re definitely looking. They’re open to Michael Keane leaving, from what I’m told.

“We’ll probably see both Keane and Kean leaving in 2023 because Moise Kean will end up leaving permanently as well.

“I think it’s natural that both of those are heading towards the exit door at the moment.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Get rid

Given his lack of minutes, and the fact that Frank Lampard’s team signed Coady and Tarkowski in the summer, they can afford to let Keane go with sufficient cover in the central defensive area.

On £80,000-per-week as well, Keane is one of the Blues’ higher earners in the squad (FBRef), and so getting him off the wage books would help potentially fund one or two signings in the January transfer window.

As for Kean, he was earning just over £53,000-per-week at Everton before his loan move, and so losing him would also free up space on the wage bill, on top of the transfer fee they will receive for his departure. The striker only managed four goals in 39 games for the Toffees, and so will not be a big loss.

Former BBC pundit Noel Whelan has backed Everton in their reported pursuit of Daniel Podence.

The Lowdown: Everton interest

It was reported earlier this week that Director of Football Kevin Thelwell is eyeing up a deal to sign Podence from his former club Wolves next year.

The Goodison Park outfit want to sign versatile attackers who are proven in the Premier League, and Podence’s agent Jorge Mendes is looking to find him a new club over the next few months, with his current deal in the Midlands expiring in 2024.

The Latest: Whelan backs move

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has backed the Merseyside club to sign Podence ‘on the cheap’, given his contract situation at Molineux:

“When I’ve watched him, I’ve really liked his pace and his direct style.

“He can play on the left and play up front – and he can come up with assists and goals.

“I think Everton can get him on the cheap, too, with his contract situation.

“He’s been in the Premier League three years, knows the demands, and can offer Everton something different out on the field.

“It’s a wise move. It will be well within the budget for Everton and freshen up that dressing room, as well as raise the game of other players in his position.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No-brainer

If Frank Lampard’s side can sign Podence for a cut-price, it is surely a no-brainer.

The winger fits the profile that they are looking for, and has plenty of experience in the Premier League, with eight goals and six assists over the last four seasons (Transfermarkt).

Incidentally, Podence has won all three matches that he has played against the Blues, so they know what he is capable of, and taking him from a direct rival would be a sweet bonus.

At 27 years of age, the Toffees would also be signing a player about to enter his prime.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to have identified Queen’s Park Rangers boss Michael Beale as the man to replace Bruno Lage at Molineux, according to the latest reports.

What’s the word?

As per esteemed journalist David Ornstein, the 42-year-old is now the Midlands outfit’s first choice target to fill the club’s managerial vacancy, having relieved Lage of his duties just over two weeks ago.

Writing on Twitter about that latest development, the respected insider stated: “Wolves have made Michael Beale 1st choice to become next boss. WWFC expected to move fast & contact anticipated between clubs to discuss release. Would be seen as a progressive, exciting appointment + break from previous mould.”

In his attached piece for The Athletic, Ornstein suggested that the Old Gold are said to have been ‘extremely impressed by his work, reputation and references’, while also revealing that the Englishman’s current contract at Loftus Road includes a release clause.

Special at Molineux

While it may come as something of a left-field choice considering the Bromley-born man’s relative inexperience – having only taken on his first-ever managerial job with the R’s this summer – as Ornstein alluded to, it is certainly an ‘exciting’ and bold appointment.

Recent days had seen links to former Lyon boss Peter Bosz, albeit with there notable reservations regarding the Dutchman, with the 58-year-old having been deemed “not good enough” in recent times by journalist Julien Laurens amid his fresh departure from the Ligue 1 outfit.

The beauty of appointing a figure such as Beale is that the coaching visionary has not been burned by previous bad experiences as a manager, having also honed his craft as a coach over the years, after previously working in the academy set-up at both Chelsea and Liverpool.

The promising figure has also gained valuable experience in recent years having acted as assistant manager to Steven Gerrard at both Rangers and at Aston Villa, having also previously taken on the same role for Brazilian outfit, Sao Paulo.

Lauded as a “genius” by former Gers striker Jermain Defoe, Beale has also been on the receiving end of glowing praise from the aforementioned Gerrard in recent times, with the former England international stating that what his colleague does on the training ground is “really quite special”.

That coaching quality has been evident in his relatively brief tenure at his current club thus far, with the west London outfit firmly in the mix for promotion having found themselves in the play-off places at present.

To be able to poach such an impressive, up-and-coming manager could be a real coup for those back at Molineux, with it potentially worth the risk to take a gamble on a special rising star, rather than a potentially fading force such as Bosz.