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West Ham United are reportedly eyeing up a move for Torino central midfielder Sasa Lukic in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Signings needed

It is safe to say that West Ham need to make some signings in January in order to help push them up the Premier League table.

They are currently sitting in 16th place, just one point outside of the relegation zone, and also have a UEFA Europa Conference League campaign to contend with in the second part of the season.

The lack of quality depth behind Declan Rice in the centre of the park is definitely a concern, and it looks like GSBK are looking to strengthen the spine in the winter window.

The Latest: Lukic interest

As per Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the Hammers are one of four clubs to have ‘shown interest’ in Lukic, alongside Leicester City, Napoli and Roma.

The 26-year-old would like to leave Torino, and if he is not sold in January, he will go in the summer instead.

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The Verdict: Midfield upgrade

Hailed as ‘outstanding’ by journalist Josh Bunting, Lukic would certainly feel like an upgrade on David Moyes’ current options in the middle of the park.

Only Declan Rice is able to match his 88.7% pass accuracy in the Irons squad in their respective domestic leagues (for players to have made at least one start so far this season), while his two goals and 0.5 crosses per game are unmatched by any West Ham midfielder.

Hammers supporters would have caught a glimpse of Lukic playing for Serbia in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he came up against Irons maestro Lucas Paqueta for Brazil, showing that he can perform on the big stage.

Nonetheless, at 26 years of age, he is a player about to enter his prime, and could really shine at the London Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur now ‘entice’ central defensive star Rodrigo Becao of Udinese, according to reports out of Italy.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites leak goals…

The Lilywhites have endured a real defensive leakage as of late in the Premier League. Antonio Conte’s side have actually conceded more goals than anyone else in the top eight of the division, shipping 21 in a frustrating record for Spurs.

Eleven of those came in their last five league matches before the World Cup, so shoring up Tottenham’s fragile backline must surely be a major priority for Conte and the north Londoners.

The Latest: Spurs ‘entice’ Becao…

According to a claim from Italy, it appears that in-form defender Becao could now be tempted by Spurs.

As per Udinese Blog, it is believed that they ‘entice’ the Brazilian, who is currently the ‘most requested’ player at the Serie A club leading up to January.

It’s added that Becao ‘has now reached the highest levels of performance’, duly leading to strong interest in the 26-year-old’s services.

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The Verdict: Right man?

The South American is currently Udinese’s third-best performing player on average and has made more tackles per 90 than anyone in their squad (WhoScored), which explains why clubs would want to take him off their hands.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Becao appears to have a physicality suited to English football and already comes with a glowing reputation, having been called ‘insurmountable’ by members of the media.

It could come down to potential price tag, but with his contract expiring in 2024, that could put Spurs in a fairly strong negotiating position.

Southampton transfer target Cody Gakpo could be worth an ‘unfeasible’ £47 million off the back of his impressive season and World Cup heroics for the Netherlands. 

The Lowdown: Ready for the big time

Since bursting onto the Eredivisie scene in 2018, Gakpo’s consistent progression predetermined his now current status of being a big-hitter in the final third.

Two consecutive seasons of seven league goals paved way for a mesmeric return of 25 goal contributions in the form of 12 goals and 13 assists from 27 Eredivisie appearances last term. 

And at the ripe age of 23, the 10-cap Netherlands international has built on that form. That is a total of nine goals and 12 assists in the Dutch top flight.

His performances over the last two seasons arguably confirm that he is ready for the big time, with the Oranje star underlining that statement further with a terrific opening performance for his national side against Senegal.

The Latest: Missed the boat

Southampton were said to have lodged a pre-deadline offer in a bid to prise Gakpo from the clutches of PSV, and with a recent development, along with a talismanic performance on the World stage, the £47 million star now looks to be out of reach for the Saints.  

That is according to a report from De Telegraaf, as shared by Sport Witness, who have insight from Saints scout Piet Buter. 

As per the same piece, Buter said this on Gakpo: “In the summer, it was about an amount of around 35 million euros (for Gakpo)”

“You can now add at least 20 million euros to that. Cody has become unfeasible for us.”

The Verdict: Ship sailed

Ultimately, Southampton cannot be mad at their summer approach to sign the 23-year-old, because ultimately they submitted a respectable offer at the time. 

But, Buter is entirely correct. Gakpo’s value will continue to rise with each positive performance in the World Cup, with his efforts for club level already driving up that sum. 

PSV have a superstar on their hands, with his fee rising on an almost monthly basis, backing former Netherlands midfielder Theo Janssen’s claim that the PSV sensation ‘has everything’.

And amidst his rapid and consistent development as a goal-getter, it spells somewhat of a transfer disaster for Nathan Jones’ side.

Manchester City are ‘ready’ to make a summer 2023 move for AC Milan star Rafael Leao, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Attacking abundance…

The Premier League champions are currently enriched with real depth in the attacking areas as top-flight clubs continue to struggle with Pep Guardiola’s scintillating brand of football.

No other team in the English top tier has scored more goals than City so far this season, thanks in part to the imperious form of marquee summer signing Erling Haaland, who already has a staggering 18 goals in 12 league games.

Alongside the Norway star, Guardiola has Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez at his disposal going forward in a real nightmare for their competitors.

Despite City’s numerous attacking options, though, sporting director Txiki Begiristain is seemingly always working overtime to bolster Guardiola’s squad even further.

The Latest: Man City ‘ready’ to make Leao move next summer…

Reports suggest that City and Begiristain are firmly in the mix to sign Leao, who is in line to feature for Portugal at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The 23-year-old has been a key player at the San Siro for some time, prompting interest from the Sky Blues and other major clubs.

Journalist Rudy Galetti claims on Twitter that City are ‘ready’ to knock on Milan’s door for Leao next summer, alongside Chelsea and Ligue 1 giants Paris-Saint Germain.

The Verdict: Ambitious move…

Milan apparently value their ‘jewel’ at no less than €120m (£105m), but if City were to move for him next year, Leao’s club may be forced to accept a lower offer.

The 23-year-old’s current deal expires in 2024, and if he hasn’t penned fresh terms by then, the Rossoneri would have to consider either selling him or else risk losing him for nothing soon after.

Called ‘world class’ by members of the Italian press, no Milan player has attempted more shots or completed more dribbles per 90 than Leao this season (WhoScored), so it’s clear to see why a pursuit is firmly on City’s agenda.

Two clubs in the UEFA Champions League have reportedly joined the race to sign Leon King from Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Premier League interest

It was reported last week that Leeds United, Newcastle United and Manchester United have all sent scouts to watch King in action ahead of a potential move.

They are all thought to be monitoring his situation at Ibrox, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.

The Latest: Contact initiated

As per Football Insider, Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are both competing alongside the Gers in this season’s Champions League group stages, have joined the race for King’s signature.

They have officially ‘registered their interest’ in the central defender, with his future thought to be ‘up in the air’ due to his contract situation.

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The Verdict: New deal needed

Losing the likes of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey in the summer to Southampton and Ajax respectively shows that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side find it difficult to keep hold of their key players when the Premier League or top European sides come calling.

Thus, they need to make sure that they tie King down to a new and improved contract as soon as possible, with other high-profile teams lurking.

Hailed as an ‘absolutely top class‘ talent by renowned Light Blues bloggers Four Lads Had a Dream, 18-year-old King has made 11 senior appearances already this term, and so has established himself as an important member of the squad despite his age.

Nonetheless, his ceiling is clearly very high, and so the Teddy Bears should be doing everything that they can in order to make sure that his best years are at the club.

Leeds United ended their long wait for a return back to the Premier League as Marcelo Bielsa guided the team to promotion from the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign.

The Argentine head coach needed two seasons in the second tier to claim the much-coveted prize of securing top-flight football as the Whites won the title, finishing above West Brom in the table.

Bielsa also came close to doing it in his first campaign in charge as he led the side to third in the table, finishing below Sheffield United and Norwich before losing in the play-offs.

The ex-Marseille coach arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2018 and his first transfer window in Yorkshire was a busy one, as Victor Orta brought in the likes of Patrick Bamford, Barry Douglas, and Kiko Casilla.

Leeds also cashed in one of their hottest prospects as they sold central midfielder Ronaldo Vieira to Italian side Sampdoria for a reported fee of £7.7m.

Whites owner Andrea Radrizzani explained that he made the sale for the good of the club, telling BBC Sport: 

“The investment we’ve made in the past year does not allow us to do anything else to find more resources.

“The sacrifice was very hard for me to do because he’s a great player. He was one of best players to come from our youth but I cannot put the club in danger in the future.

“We thought it would be a sacrifice we could take, and still maintain the team and invest where we need more.”

One of the players they signed with the money that the sale raised was Bamford and the striker scored 16 Championship goals in the promotion-winning season and then managed 17 strikes in the top-flight to help Leeds maintain their place in the division.

Meanwhile, Vieira has struggled to kick on in his career. He has only played 67 matches for Sampdoria in just over four years at the club, although he spent one year on loan at Hellas Verona – playing five times – in 2020/21.

In the three seasons in which he has played 10 or more matches in the Serie A, the Englishman failed to average a SofaScore rating higher than 6.68. For context, a score of 6.68 would place him 18th in the Leeds squad for the 2021/22 campaign in the Premier League – below Helder Costa and Adam Forshaw.

This suggests that he has been unable to deliver consistently impressive performances in the Italian top-flight and his market value is a reflection of that. At the time of writing (23/09/22), Transfermarkt value Vieira at £3.15m – significantly less than the initial £7.7m Leeds received for him in 2018.

His value has plummeted by 59% and this shows that Radrizzani played a blinder as he was able to rake in a big fee for the Sampdoria dud before his career started to head down a slope, whilst also reinvesting the money brilliantly – with Bamford.

Tottenham Hotspur are in talks over a deal to bring Daniel James to north London this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, following earlier reports of Spurs’ interest in a “shock” move the Leeds United winger, Fabio Paratici is indeed in discussions with the Whites regarding a deal for the 24-year-old over the remainder of the summer transfer window.

The transfer insider went on to state that Tottenham are hoping to secure the Wales international on a season-long loan with an option to purchase – believed to be in the region of £20m – the forward next summer, although it is also claimed that Jesse Marsch is not against keeping the attacker at Elland Road beyond Thursday’s transfer deadline.

In his post, Romano said: “Tottenham have discussed potential loan with buy option for Daniel James with Leeds last week – not an easy deal, also Everton asked for Dan. Situation remains open, it’s up to the player – Leeds would be happy to keep James.”

Paratici’s biggest mistake

While it is true that Antonio Conte has stated his desire to sign a replacement for Bryan Gil before sanctioning the Spain U21 international’s agreed loan to Valencia, considering just how poor James has been for Leeds since his £25m move from Manchester United last summer, the argument that the Welshman’s signing would be his biggest mistake yet is an easy one to make.

Indeed, according to FBref, the £16.2m-rated forward ranks in the bottom 28% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the bottom 37% for assists, the bottom 8% for xG assisted – xG which follows a pass that assists a shot – and the bottom 6% for shot-creating actions over the last 365 days.

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Furthermore, the 34-cap international also ranks in the bottom 1% for passes attempted per 90, in addition to the bottom 5% for passes completed, the bottom 9% for progressive passes, the bottom 21% for progressive carries and the bottom 4% for dribbles completed over the past 12 months.

The £50k-per-week forward once again fails to impress in his defensive metrics, ranking in the bottom 30% for interceptions per 90, as well as the bottom 32% for blocks, the bottom 42% for aerial duels won and the bottom 49% for tackles over the last year.

As such, with James evidently being ineffective in the final third, poor in both his passing and carrying of the ball and underwhelming when working back in a defensive capacity, exactly what Paratici has seen in the 24-year-old to identify him as a suitable match for Conte’s squad is very much up for debate.

However, one thing that would seem much more certain is that should the Italian sporting director go on to agree a loan with a £20m option to buy the Welshman in the coming days, it would undoubtedly be his biggest mistake at Tottenham to date after an impressive transfer haul throughout 2022 so far.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing a potential move for Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from 90min, the Magpies – who are apparently long-term admirers of the midfielder – are keeping an eye on the Scotsman’s situation at Old Trafford, with the imminent arrival of Casemiro from Real Madrid creating a question mark over McTominay’s future at the club.

In 172 senior appearances for the Red Devils, the 25-year-old has 16 goals and four assists to his name across all competitions.

Ideal Shelvey heir

Bearing in mind how Newcastle currently have the joint-oldest squad in the Premier League in terms of the average age (27.5) of the 30 players they have in their senior ranks, a potential move for McTominay could see the Toon secure an ideal heir for one of their more senior players in Jonjo Shelvey.

At the age of 30, not only is the ex-Liverpool midfielder one of the nine outfield players in Newcastle’s squad to have entered their thirties, he is also into the final year of his contract at St James’ Park.

Comparing the two midfielders from their previous Premier League campaigns, McTominay trumped Shelvey from a defensive point of view as he made more successful tackles, successful pressures, interceptions, blocks and clearances than the Magpies ace (via FBRef).

Taking into account how the Tyneside club only won 10 of the 24 league games in which the £70k-per-week midfielder appeared last season, it would make sense for them to look at a defensively capable midfielder like McTominay.

The Scotland international can also provide a threat in front of goal, as his strike against Burnley last December was lauded as “beautiful” by Belgium manager Roberto Martinez.

Also, with the Englishman currently out injured, not only would a move for the Manchester United figure help Newcastle in the short-term, McTominay’s age would also make him a suitable heir for Shelvey, especially if the latter ends up leaving Tyneside when his contract expires next summer.

If an opportunity to sign the 25-year-old arises before the summer transfer window closes, Newcastle and Eddie Howe should consider it a smart prospective investment and do all they can to get the Scotsman to St James’ Park.

Manchester City have been gifted a huge boost as reliable journalist Mike Keegan shares some contract news involving star midfielder Phil Foden.

The Lowdown: Guardiola prepares…

The Sky Blues retained their Premier League crown in dramatic fashion on the final day of 2021/2022, beating Aston Villa 3-2 with a trio of goals in the final 15 minutes.

Strikes from Ilkay Gundogan (2) and Rodri sealed one of the most memorable comebacks in English football history after Pep Guardiola’s side went two goals down, but while that is fun to look back on for supporters, it’s now straight back to business for the players this weekend.

City travel to West Ham for their opening match of the new season and they will be aiming to gazump rivals Liverpool again by keeping the title at Eastlands.

In preparation, they’ve seen a host of players come in through the door with Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega putting pen to paper.

While some big names like Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have departed, Guardiola may have been handed a big boost as Keegan shares a Foden contract update.

The Latest: Keegan shares ‘great’ Foden news…

Indeed, according to The Daily Mail’s reporter, it appears the 22-year-old is about to be tied down to a bumper new deal.

Keegan explained (via Twitter):

“Believe Phil Foden has now agreed a new, long-term deal with Manchester City. Great news for the club with season days away.”

The journalist, sharing more good news, also went on to claim that there is a Foden ‘announcement expected‘ in the next few days or perhaps early next week.

The Verdict: Massive…

The City starlet is a crucial player in Guardiola’s side having finished 21/22 as one of their top performers, so this news comes as very welcome.

Adored at the Etihad Stadium by supporters, the prospect of a new long term deal for Foden is a very exciting one and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him finish his career in Manchester.

Tottenham Hotspur have been praised for their acquisition of exciting defender Djed Spence as a variety of reporters and club correspondents give their verdicts.

The Lowdown: Spurs confirm capture…

After what seemed like weeks upon weeks of negotiations with Middlesbrough, Spurs finally made a breakthrough in signing the 21-year-old, announcing the deal on Tuesday morning.

The former Nottingham Forest star, who played a major role in their run to Premier League promotion, has now become the north Londoners’ sixth signing of the summer.

Indeed, Spence follows Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Clement Lenglet through the door with manager Antonio Conte given yet more backing ahead of his first full season in charge.

The Italian has seemingly landed his desired right-wing-back option to provide an injection of real dynamism in the forward areas and it’s safe to say many members of the press are impressed with this transfer.

The Latest: Journalists thrilled by Spence signing…

Taking to social media, journalists heaped praise on Tottenham for finally landing Spence.

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“Lots of potential there. Djed Spence is a rocket on the right side. Antonio Conte will now have this diamond in the rough to polish at Tottenham. What a Spurs market. Look at this boy…” – Fernando Campos, ESPN Brazil.

“Five year contract for Djed Spence. Great deal for all parties. £12.5m with another £7.5m in potential future add-ons. He’s certainly got tons of potential and Conte will have plenty to work with to continue his development.” – Alasdair Gold, football.london.

“Another top ⁦@SpursOfficial signing this summer with Djed Spence moving from ⁦@Boro – good luck in North London my friend.” – Ian Abrahams, talkSPORT.

The Verdict: Right to be impressed…

Called a ‘massive player’ for Forest last campaign and one who is seemingly ‘perfect’ for Conte, finally agreeing a deal for Spence certainly comes as a major boost.

Not only is there real potential there, but Spence’s arrival also helps to balance Tottenham’s troubling homegrown quota – killing two birds with one stone both on and off the pitch.