It hasn’t exactly been a dream start for Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool as he attempts to wake the sleeping giant and return them to the top of English football. The reds mixed results have highlighted Liverpool’s lack of firepower and Rodgers’ need to improve the squad if he wants his side to finish anywhere near the top seven this year.
So who is Rodgers’ top target that is going to turn around the fortunes at Anfield? Is it super strikers Demba Ba and Klaas Jan Huntelaar or flying wingers Theo Walcott and Dries Mertens?
No. In fact Rodgers is setting his priorities on a 3rd choice goalkeeper from the Championship.
Former Swansea goalkeeper and current Wolves number 3 Dorus de Vries is the man that Brendan Rodgers is after in January as he believes the Dutchman could be just as valuable to the squad (link).
Rodgers’ advances in the summer were both turned down by Wolves but now it seems the Liverpool manager is more intent than ever to link up with his former number 1 both at Chelsea and Swansea.
The Dutchman has failed to make an impact between the sticks at Wolves and now with his recent falling out with manager Stale Solbakken he could well be on his way out of Molyneux.
Rodgers will be hoping he can take De Vries to Anfield in January as he sees him as genuine competition for Pepe Reina and he is a goalkeeper that already understands the managers philosophies and style.
De Vries is certainly competent enough to play in the Premier League and is well drilled in acting as a makeshift sweeper, but surely this signing is not the priority for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool.
The Dutchman may add a little more stability and comfort to Liverpool’s defence when they are on the ball but realistically Liverpool should be sorting out some other areas of the team before the goalkeeping situation. Rodgers should be focusing on finding a new goalscorer or a player that is going to improve the reds options going forward, not trying to sign a goalkeeper that can’t even get a game in the Championship.
The Liverpool manager really needs to improve his record in the transfer market, especially after the Andy Carroll and Clint Dempsey situation, and signing fringe player like Dorus de Vries is only likely to get some Liverpool fans foaming with fury.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In one way you can see why Rodgers wants to reunite with De Vries as he is a former student and advocate of his style, but surely there are more pressing matters for the Liverpool manager to contend with and he should address those problems first before it is too late.
Manchester City expect to sign Napoli’s Italian international midfielder Jorginho by the end of the week, according to Sky Sports.
What’s the latest, then?
Sky Sports report that City’s long-running pursuit of the Napoli man is set to come to a conclusion before the end of the week.
They claim that while a medical is yet to be arranged, a £46.5m deal will be concluded as soon as the final details, which include the payment of a five per cent sell-on fee to Jorginho’s old club Verona, are ironed out.
They also report that Jorginho has concluded his family holiday and is ready to jet to Manchester to have a medical as soon as the agreement is finalised.
[ad_pod ]
City are already streets ahead
It was a procession for Manchester City in the title race last season and even without any additions, it would be tough to bet against Pep Guardiola’s men clinching glory at a canter this time around as well.
The Spaniard has his pick of Europe’s players in some ways, because the prospect of joining his revolution is so appealing and the arrival of another technical maestro, to replace the disruptive and ageing Yaya Toure will only make them even tougher to beat.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Guardiola’s recruitment at City has been immaculate so it is tough to picture Jorginho being anything other than a perfect fit.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”256220″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Chattin’ Shirt World Cup Absentees”]
Andrea Radrizzani took full control of Leeds United in May last year, and the news was met with widespread joy from the club’s following due to the tumultuous period under Massimo Cellino’s rule.
Since then, the Italian businessman has tried to keep up-to-date with the fans’ needs and he often interacts with the supporters on Twitter.
This week, the Yorkshire club gathered Radrizzani, managing director Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta for a Q&A session with the fans via Twitter.
The supporters were asked to send in their questions to the trio, using the hashtag #ASKLUFC.
[ad_pod ]
More often that not, football fans make a mockery of online Q&As by posing tongue-in-cheek questions, but on this occasion, Leeds fans had a few serious things on their minds.
The club’s winless run came to an end on Saturday as they earned a 1-0 victory over Brentford – the club’s first league triumph since Boxing Day.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As it stands, the Whites are 11th in the table, five points adrift of the playoff places.
The player in question galloping forward, brushing off their opponents with a single stride, leaving them behind as if they were a childhood memory best forgotten, and then either rounding the keeper before sliding the ball home or executing the perfect finish past a helpless keeper.
They are a rarity but, when they come along, they are wonderful to watch. Seeing Gareth Bale out sprint Barcelona’s Marc Bartra from inside his own half before scoring the winner for Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final a few months ago was a thing of pure beauty.
But was it the best? Not a chance. Well, you could argue that they’re all the best in their own right. But here’s FIVE I’d say top it.
[ffc-gallery]Click on Neymar to reveal [/ffc-gallery]
[ffc-gallery]
[/ffc-gallery]
New Brazilian BBQ Steak Flavour! In stores now!
Neymar vs. Flamengo (2011)
This makes the list purely for the bit of skill he uses to beat the last defender, which earned this goal the FIFA Puskas Award in 2011.
The Brazilian played a one-two with his teammate before collecting the ball about 30 yards from goal at pace, did something ridiculous with his feet to knock the ball past the defender, and then poked home past the goalkeeper.
He may not have ran almost the entire pitch, but the tekkers he uses makes it a wonderful addition to the list.
[ad_pod id=’memegen’ align=’center’]
Michael Owen vs. Argentina (1998)
Many England fans questioned whether it was right to take an inexperienced 18-year-old in Michael Owen to the World Cup in France.
But he put all the doubters in their place with one of England’s greatest ever goals at a major tournament.
With a second-round tie with rivals Argentina locked at 1-1, Owen collected the ball on the half-way line and started running, mazing in and out of the Argentina defence before smashing past keeper Carlos Roa.
[ad_pod id=’memegen’ align=’center’]
Ryan Giggs vs. Arsenal (1999)
With the scores level at 1-1 in this FA Cup semi-final replay, everyone watching was expecting the game to go to penalties.
But when Ryan Giggs collected a misplaced pass in the 109th minute, that all changed with a mazy run, emphatic finish and a ridiculously hairy chest.
United went on to win the treble that year to make history, but memories of his shirt swinging, bare-chested celebration will no doubt live longer in the memories of those lucky enough to be there.
[ad_pod id=’memegen’ align=’center’]
Lionel Messi vs. Getafe (2011)
You can’t have a list like this without Messi’s name being mentioned. The solo goal is almost a trademark of his record-breaking career.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
But it is the one against Getafe in 2011 that had fans talking the most, and even had supporters across the world comparing him to Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
You don’t get much better than this, particularly with him starting in his own area and having to hold off two brutal opponents before beginning his goal-bound onslaught.
[ad_pod id=’memegen’ align=’center’]
Diego Maradona vs. England (1986)
He will always be remembered for the ‘Hand of God’ goal against the Three Lions, but he did produce the ‘Goal of the Century’ in the same game.
He picked up the ball well inside his own half, did a cheeky little turn to throw three England players off the scent, and then he was off.
He may have cheated England out of a World Cup semi-final in Mexico, but this goal was worthy of winning any match.
Arsenal’s annual general meeting today generated much debate and talking points to pour over as the club’s hierarchy attempted to justify the sale of star striker Robin van Persie in the summer, the subsequent lack of investment in the squad and the team’s continued struggles out on the pitch, so let’s take a look at what came out of it.
It was clear from the off that the likes of Ivan Gazidis, Peter Hill-Wood and Stan Kroenke were going to be faced with a tough line of questioning, particularly given that the club have slumped to two consecutive defeats against Norwich and Schalke which rendered just two shots on target in total. Satirical leaflets were handed out beforehand aimed at the increasingly unpopular Gazidis and it appears as if the main gripe was the club’s gamble that Uefa was going to uphold Financial Fair Play (FFP) to the letter.
Since work began on the Emirates Stadium back in 2002, it’s become abundantly clear that the club were going to pay in the short-term for long-term sustainable growth and that in order for them to stand on their own two feet and with sound financial footing, that cut-backs were going to have to be made.
Arsenal have spent £250.75m approximately over the past 11 seasons since then and have brought in 273.45m for a net spend of – £22.7m. The cries of the club being predominantly a selling club are certainly true to an extent, but going right back to Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka being sold to Barcelona and Real Madrid between 1999-2001, the same could be said of them, so it’s hardly a trend based solely around the stadium move rather one which has been accelerated by it.
Hill-Wood left himself open to ridicule at the function by absurdly trying to claim that van Persie was sold for footballing reasons, in a re-run of last year’s timid and flawed defence of the Cesc Fabregas sale arguing: “We undertake our transfers for football reasons and not FFP. Money is available to Arsene.” The truth is that van Persie did leave the club for ‘football reasons’, but not the ones which Hill-Wood would state, namely an inability to compete for silverware.
Gazidis backed this up with the following: “Our ambition is all about football – to compete at the very top of the game here and in Europe. To win trophies, it’s important we understand our off-field journey if we want to understand our football future. The club is increasingly well positioned to take advantage of its excellent global reputation. Within the next two years Arsenal will have the financial resources to sit and compete with the biggest clubs in the world.
“I have no doubt we can and will return club to winning trophies and drive it forward to new heights. Financial success is relevant because it supports our football vision, the money we make is made available to our manager and he decides how to invest those funds. Standing together we can make Arsenal one of the leading clubs in the world. We have outperformed that spend every single year for 15 years. An extraordinary record of consistency. We do make the money available for re-investment of the team, but that doesn’t mean in every window we spend everything we have. Manchester City and Chelsea won’t be able to spend forever.”
Of course, the sensible approach that the club is taking requires a long-term viewpoint and in this day and age when fans are increasingly reactionary and knee-jerk, it goes against the grain somewhat. Nevertheless, seven years and counting without a trophy is not a statistic that looks like changing any time in the near future and the most worrying thing is the company line that finishing in the top four in the league is tantamount to a piece of silverware.
Wenger told the AGM: “For me there are five trophies: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is the FA Cup and the fifth in the League Cup. A player does not want to know if you’ve won the League Cup. I know there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction and I can understand but it’s important we don’t go overboard. We hit a wall in the past two games in an unexplainable way, but this team can deliver. I am optimistic. Would like to say every club uses money from its own resources. Our policy will stay the same; to produce 60-80% of our own players. My job is not finances its to deliver a team.”
We all understand the financial implications that missing out on the Champions League can have on a club, particularly one which spends only what it makes, but placing fourth in the league above the FA Cup is distorting what qualifies as success in the extreme. This near constant obsession with planning for the future isn’t healthy and at some point you have to govern your decisions on the here and now. Only Arsenal would consider bringing on an untested 17-year-old to try and turn a game around in Europe at home, as they did last night with Serge Gnabry against Schalke, which in itself highlights a much larger problem.
Wenger made a reasonable point that despite their struggles in recent games, making a mockery of those that tipped them for the title just over a month ago, that the defeat to the German club was their first on home turf in 43 games in the Champions League. They are not quite a fading force just yet and the Frenchman has done well to still make them competitive while others all around them have invested heavily, but they look as if they face an uphill task this term to finish in the top four.
Arsenal fans can often be found ranging from ‘those that indulge the Wenger Out’ hysteria to other that are entrenched FFP idealists and the supporters seem fairly split on several contentious issues. The praise dished out to assistant Steve Bould, which was ridiculously over the top to say the least given the opposition, has dissipated now given that they haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last nine games and while they’ve scored 24 goals in 12 fixtures this season, 12 of those came in just two games against Southampton and Coventry, so there’s clearly some serious work to be done at both end of the pitch.
While the rise in ticket prices were given a deeply condescending answer from the incredibly patronising Hill-Wood and pretty much dodged by Gazidis, as he looked set upon answering an altogether different question rather than actual give a reasoned response as to why Arsenal fans pay on average more than any other club in Europe.
The shtick that the aim is still to win trophies has all been heard before by Arsenal fans but there’s been no real improvement and they count for little more than empty platitudes aimed at staving off the masses for another year. Selling your best players every year is a systemic problem and the root causes simply haven’t been addressed, but the worrying thing is that in public, everyone involved at board level just pretends as if nothing is going on and that it’s business as usual.
For a club the size of Arsenal, merely taking part and being happy to be one of ‘the gang’ so to speak simply isn’t good enough. It was stated that the club are now in the final phase of their stadium process which will see them expand their commercial revenues which coupled with the introduction of FFP should not only see them meet the requirements but get the best out of them, but at the moment that all purely theoretical.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As with every AGM meeting at Arsenal these past few years, the image that the board portray of the club is completely different from the one the fans know and it’s this crucial disconnect which is most troubling. The club has gone stale and by putting all of their eggs in one basket, Gazidis, Hill-Wood and Wenger are taking one hell of a major gamble, for if it doesn’t come off, there may be no reversing the trends which they have played a part in setting in motion.
Are Arsenal suffering from a lack of ambition? Or should they stick the course? Have your say below.
The 2018 World Cup is well underway and there are a number of players that have already made a big impact for their country in their opening group game, and surely some of them will have caught the eye of new Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa
The Argentine will surely be keen to make some big moves in the transfer market to ensure the Yorkshire outfit, whose fans have called on their club to sign a 27-year-old South American winger who starred in the World Cup on Saturday, are serious about securing a Premier League return in the 2018/19 season following another disappointing campaign, in which they went from genuine automatic promotion candidates at the start to mid-table mediocrity by the end.
If the 62-year-old is to bring his famous 3-3-3-1 formation to Elland Road then he will need the players that will work in that particular system, and strengthening all across the pitch may well be his priority.
The veteran boss will already have some targets in mind, but he may have been convinced by the impressive displays of a number of individuals in Russia, too.
Here are three World Cup stars that Bielsa has surely added to his summer transfer wishlist…
The 26-year-old’s future at club level is certainly up in the air right now considering he has just finished a loan spell with Grasshoppers Zurich from Jiangsu Suning – where is contract expires at the end of 2018 – but he may well have earned himself a move with a brilliant display for Argentina against France on Saturday.
The defender, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, impressed against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann by making seven clearances and two interceptions, as per WhoScored.com, while he was decent in possession of the ball too to suggest that he could be more than a good Championship player for Leeds.
The Udinese midfielder may only be a bit-part player for his club and be 33 years of age, but he put in a monstrous display in the middle of the park for Iceland in their impressive 1-1 draw with Argentina on Saturday.
The Serie A man made three tackles, two clearances and two interceptions, as per WhoScored.com, as he helped to keep the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero quiet when they dropped deep, and his ability to either play a defensive or attacking role in the middle of the park may mean he is ideal in a Bielsa side.
Mile Jedinak showed for Aston Villa how important he is despite the fact he is getting no younger, and perhaps Hallfredsson could have a similar impact at Elland Road.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Bielsa’s sides in the past have thrived with a big centre-forward up top – like when he had Fernando Llorente at Athletic Bilbao – and he may want to bring one to Elland Road this summer in order to get the most out of his preferred system.
One option could be Dzuyba, whose future with Zenit Saint-Petersburg appears to be in doubt after he joined fellow Russian outfit Arsenal Tula on loan until the end of the season during the January transfer window.
The 6ft 5in centre-forward certainly made a big impression as a substitute for his country in their 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia last week, scoring one and assisting another despite only having 11 touches in his 25 minutes on the pitch, while he also netted in the success against Egypt.
It is probably about time that Paul Dummett received the credit that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is not a star name and does not live the lifestyle of a superstar footballer, but he has been one of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League in recent weeks.
Indeed, since returning from a hamstring problem in the latter stages of 2017, Dummett has been simply terrific for Newcastle United.
He was again in fine form on Sunday afternoon as Newcastle picked up a massive three points against Manchester United in the Premier League.
Dummett had Anthony Martial to deal with for long stages of the match, and the left-back had a solid game against the talented Frenchman.
There is no question that Dummett is popular with the Newcastle fans, and many have taken to social media to lavish praise on the left-sided defender.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Indeed, one supporter even suggested that the full-back should be the club’s next captain.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
A few weeks ago, Manchester United’s 2-0 loss away to Olympiakos was the nadir in a horrendous season. Scrap that now. Losing 3-0 at home to Liverpool, of all teams, when it quite comfortably could have and should have been more, is United’s lowest point this season so far.
Everyone was accountable for another shocking display from the home side. Uninspired? Yes. Disinterested? Without question. You could even make a strong claim that professional pride has completely deserted most of these players considering that Liverpool were the team arriving at Old Trafford on Sunday and that even after shocking defeats and draws, of which some felt like losses, these players could have put some effort forward.
The manager looks to be sending out a team who have no interest in playing for him. David Moyes will try to tell a different story; he’s regularly peddled out the idea that the team (and he himself, of course) will try their best to win the next game. But this United team aren’t stagnating, they’re clearly getting worse.
Every win that United can muster, and there have been very, very few wholly convincing showings, is simply an opportunity for critics to reload their arms and allow others to add to the numbers.
Against Liverpool, Moyes was tactically naïve. In fairness, it’s a double-edged sword. For what seems like an age, Moyes has been criticised for playing it safe, going out defensively in big games with the aim of nicking something on the break. In the Premier League at the very least, Manchester United have never resorted to playing that way.
So what everyone had been calling out for had been offered up by the current United manager. He went full throttle with Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj, and Juan Mata. But does that say something about him? That he’s willing to give in to outside pressure in the way Ferguson would never have done?
It shouldn’t take a tactical genius to realise that a team playing against this Liverpool side are in need of players who are willing to track back and support their defence; how could they not when Brendan Rodgers’ side break with such pace?
Moyes wasn’t getting any of that from Mata, a player sold by Chelsea for exactly that reason. Januzaj was completely forgotten on the other flank, and you can forget about the idea of van Persie helping out defensively.
And as for the central midfield duo of Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini: the former had a poor game, like everyone else, and the latter doesn’t have the intelligence to break up play, nor does he compensate that with a ‘destroyer-like’ presence in the middle of the pitch.
ESPN have reported that Moyes’ position is starting to be discussed at board level. The knock-on effects of his performances as manager don’t just apply to football matters, but to the commercial side of the club too. Why would partners, some of the most well-known in the world, want to align themselves with a club facing such hardship? The football side of things is the club’s problem; these commercial partners, however, didn’t sign up for this.
It’s hard to stay committed to the idea that the club should retain Moyes until sometime next season, by which time he’ll have better tools via the market to implement his ideas and get the team back on track. As of yet, there have been no signs whatsoever that he has an idea of what to do. He himself admitted that the task of managing Manchester United is far greater and far more difficult than he expected.
This is still a football club who need to ensure they don’t get left behind by their counterparts in England and Europe. There isn’t really much time to be nice and attempt to hold together a principle of managerial stability when the man in charge looks anything but capable.
One of Moyes’ problems is he doesn’t have the ruthlessness of his predecessor, or managers like Jose Mourinho. The tactical setup of this United team is completely wrong – and it doesn’t require a plunge into the transfer market to change things for the better.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Rooney is on a huge new contract, so he has to play. Mata is a January signing who came in for one of the biggest transfer fees in English football, so he has to play – plus he’s their best midfielder. Van Persie is the club’s best striker, by a distance, and the need for goals in order to win games makes him an obvious choice in any starting XI.
But the balance isn’t right. Moyes won’t take the step of mixing things up, of leaving one out in order to create a better unit. Title-challenging teams talk of squads rather than just good XIs, but it doesn’t mean lumping them all in to the sacrifice of cohesion. Barcelona left Cesc Fabregas and Neymar on the bench on the weekend; Manchester City have three excellent centre-forwards, and yet Manuel Pellegrini, not commonly known as an aggressor, has found a good balance.
What is going on at Manchester United simply isn’t working. The senseless thing that has been done was giving Moyes a six-year contract. But paying him off for the remaining five is a lot better than going blindly into the night and hoping for the best.
Arsenal are set to sit down with contract rebel Theo Walcott this week to once more try to forge a new deal for the player, Mirror Football report.
The England international is in the last year of his current deal, and has refused an offer of an extension from the north London giants already.
However, with Walcott scoring one of his side’s goals in a 3-1 victory over West Ham at the weekend, Arsene Wenger has revealed that he wants the attacker to stay.
“We are always in touch. He has character Theo. He keeps focused and he wants to show he is 100 per cent professional and I have a big respect for that attitude,” the French coach confessed.
“Theo’s game is based on movement off the ball, timing and finishing. He can play wide, he can play centre.
“Basically it is not so important. He has improved a lot in his finishing. Even if he plays wide or centre he gets in positions where he can score.”
When asked if he felt that Walcott wanted to stay at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger remained positive.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I think so. But I cannot tell you what he tells me,” Wenger concluded.
Southampton are in danger of missing out on signing Quincy Promes from Spartak Moscow as Inter Milan are planning a £41m bid, according to soccer.ru.
What’s the word?
Promes – valued at £21.6m by Transfermarkt – was heavily linked with a move to St Mary’s in the January window, but a transfer never came to fruition.
The mid-season market is not the easiest time to bring in top-class talent, so there were suggestions that the Saints would revive their interest at the end of the campaign.
If they are to do so, then they need to move quick as Russian outlet soccer.ru are reporting that Inter Milan intend to bid around £41m for the winger.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
That figure is significantly higher than Southampton’s rejected club-record £25m attempt in January.
What should Saints do?
The coastal club are in desperate need of some pace and power from the width given that Sofiane Boufal and Nathan Redmond were the club’s only realistic options last season.
The attacking department certainly needs some work and having Promes at his disposal would make manager Mark Hughes a happy man.
However, it is unclear whether Southampton have the funds to compete with the likes of Inter, and a lot will be based upon the player’s wishes.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The Saints managed to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but would their brush with the drop make Promes reassess his options?
Time will tell, but Hughes and his team need to move fast if they want to be part of the transfer battle.