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West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is attracting a significant amount of interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that sources have revealed that Tottenham Hotspur sent scouts to watch the 28-year-old in action for West Brom against Preston North End earlier this month.

The report continues to state that Spurs are compiling a dossier on the England international ahead of a potential move for the shot-stopper, as the Premier League side are beginning to up their search to replace Hugo Lloris, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Ismael will be gutted

Considering just how important a part of Valerien Ismael’s side Johnstone is, in addition to the fact that Albion are currently attempting to convince the goalkeeper to extend his stay at The Hawthorns beyond the end of his current deal – which expires next summer – the news of Tottenham’s interest is sure to have left the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, while the £7.2m-rated man has not exactly been in the best form of his career over his nine Championship appearances so far this season, the ‘keeper has nevertheless been a steady hand between the Baggies sticks, keeping four clean sheets, as well as conceding just 0.7 goals and making 1.3 saves per game.

These returns have seen the ‘keeper who Ismael claimed is “committed” to the West Brom cause earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as the club’s joint 12th-best performer in the second tier this term.

As such, losing the £28k-per-week goalkeeper, either in January or next summer, would undoubtedly come as a major blow to Valerien Ismael and his side, as Johnstone clearly has the ability to play a huge role in Albion’s promotion push this season, as well as helping them retain their place in the Premier League next season – should the club indeed go on to secure a return to the top flight in the current campaign.

In other news: Ismael may be set for disaster over “powerful” West Brom beast, fans would be fuming

Since their promotion to the Premier League back in 2018, Wolves have reasserted themselves as a solid Premier League side.

They finished seventh in their first two seasons back in the top flight, and after sustaining something of a blip finishing in a 13th place the season in 2020/21, now look as though they will add to their consistency of finishing in the top half of the table with what looks to be, but not guaranteed, an eighth-place finish.

However, while their position in the table looks positive, they have struggled to score goals this season, averaging just one goal per match, a stat that places them 16th, just ahead of the likes of Watford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and Norwich City.

As such, it is clear to see they need some more creativity in attack, so the latest reports will surely be welcomed by Old Gold supporters.

What’s the word?

According to a report from Spanish outlet Super Deporte, two Premier League teams have enquired about signing Sevilla’s versatile winger; Lucas Ocampos.

The two Premier League teams in question are West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Whilst West Ham have asked Sevilla about the situation of the Argentine attacker, Wolves are tipped to pip them to the signing due to their positive relationship with the Andalusian club, after Rafa Mir joined Sevilla last summer.

It is said that the Spanish outfit want Ocampos to renew his contract for another year, giving them the opportunity to add a release clause of between €70m-€90m (£58m-£75m), with Sevilla not prepared to sell the Argentine attacker for less than that.

A source of creativity

It is no secret that Trincao’s loan spell from Barcelona has not exactly gone to plan from a Wolves perspective – with the £131k-per-week winger having so far scored just one goal and provided one assist over his 24 Premier League outings.

And whilst there have been glimpses of quality from the young Portuguese winger, they need consistency in their attacking line.

Ocampos can offer just that.

In three of the last four seasons, the £27m-rated attacker who journalist Fede Prami dubbed “electric” has notched up 10 or more goal contributions and has demonstrated his ability to hit the back of the net, having scored an impressive 14 league goals during the 2019/20 season in La Liga.

Wolves’ efforts to boost their offensive threat could well lie in the form of the £26k-per-week Lucas Ocampos, who would undoubtedly offer Bruno Lage a great deal more than Trincao.

AND in other news: Lage could unearth Wolves’ next Neves as Shi plots £25m bid for 17 y/o sensation

An update has emerged on Colorado Rapids forward Dantouma Toure, regarding interest from Ibrox giants Rangers.

What’s the talk?

US-based journalist Brian Sciaretta has claimed that the youngster was recently training with the Gers and is now on trial with Premier League side Arsenal.

He Tweeted: “I heard Colorado Rapids homegrown winger Dantouma Toure, 17, is doing offseason training with a bunch of European teams. Was recently at Rangers, now training with Arsenal. Born in Guinea, Toure has played for USYNT’s in the past.”

Exciting

This update will surely excite Rangers fans as it suggests that the club could be considering a swoop for the promising young forward.

The 17-year-old, who has picked up the nickname “Yaya Toure”, has shown great promise in his career so far, playing professionally in the USL Championship last year for New York Red Bulls II. He also made his MLS debut earlier this year for the Rapids, showing how much trust they have in him despite his age.

Colorado’s general manager Padraig Smith lauded the forward as a ‘difference-maker’ upon his arrival at the club as a 16-year-old. He said:

“Yaya is an exciting talent who has already shown tremendous potential through his performances in the USL Championship as a 16-year-old.

“He’s powerful and explosive on the ball and has an ability to take on defenders that allows him to be a difference-maker. We believe he has all the qualities necessary to develop into an elite player and are excited to see what the future holds for him.”

This, along with the experience he already has under his belt, highlights how exciting he is as a young forward and why Rangers fans should be delighted with the prospect of him joining the academy. He is already making strides at senior level despite being almost three years away from hitting the age of 20 and he could be a promising long-term addition to the team.

Of course, he is currently training with Arsenal and the Gers would need to convince the teenage wiz to make the switch instead of making a move elsewhere. Gio van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson must work hard to tempt him into making a full-time switch to Ibrox if possible, as he could be a fantastic signing for the academy given the potential he has shown.

AND in other news, 64x possession lost: GVB must work his magic on £5.6k-p/w Rangers dud with 0 assists…

Many Crystal Palace fans were delighted with Will Hughes’ performance in their Premier League meeting with Norwich. 

Palace entered the game in the midst of a tricky run, having one only won one of their seven games since the November international break.

Norwich, meanwhile, were looking to halt a run of four straight defeats that’s left them bottom of the Premier League table.

There were four changes to The Eagles side that lost 3-0 against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day. Wilfried Zaha was suspended, Conor Gallagher dropped out of the matchday squad entirely and Jack Butland and James Tomkins were benched.

Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Jeffrey Schlupp, Vicente Guaita and Marc Guehi replaced them.

Recapping Hughes’ performance vs Norwich

Hughes kept his place in midfield, lining up alongside Kouyate and Schlupp.

It was just his fourth start for Patrick Vieira’s side since his summer move from Watford.

And the 26-year-old shone, earning a superb match rating of 8.1 from SofaScore.

Hughes won a penalty in the early stages, with Odsonne Edouard stepping up to convert.

He also created three chances, made a game-high five tackles and won six out of eight ground duels overall.

Fans gush at Hughes display

“71% of the earth is covered by water. The remaining 29% is covered by Will Hughes”

Credit: @hollaatmefelix

“Will Hughes!!!!!!!!! He’s just everywhere he needs to be all the time!!!! He just appears!”

Credit: @milliebruv

“Will Hughes my Lord. Got a bit of baller there me thinks.”

Credit: @threluja

“Will Hughes is some player isn’t he?”

Credit: @samuelpjordan

“Will Hughes is incredible”

Credit: @miniaturelob

“Will Hughes oozes class. He’s going to turn out to be a great signing”

Credit: @ryanhirons

“Will Hughes is the best acquisition this club has ever made.”

Credit: @BDCPFC

In other news, fans offered their reaction to this dressing room revelation. 

Newcastle United are showing interest in former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen, according to The Times (via The Chronicle).

The lowdown

The 29-year-old hasn’t played since he suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland last June.

In December, Inter Milan terminated his contract by mutual consent, in the knowledge that Eriksen would not be able to play in Serie A because he has an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator fitted. However, he can feature in another league where the rules are different.

The midfielder racked up 226 Premier League appearances during his seven-year stint at Spurs from 2013 to 2020.

The latest

According to The Times, Newcastle are said to be among three Premier League clubs keen on signing Eriksen, alongside Brentford and Leicester City.

Brentford’s interest is the most advanced, with the Bees offering the Dane a contract until the end of the season. Therefore, Newcastle may quickly have to present a rival offer to ensure that they don’t lose out.

The verdict

Eriksen was excellent for Spurs, recording 159 direct goal contributions (69 goals, 90 assists) in his 305 appearances.

His overall career tallies stand at an impressive 114 goals and 158 assists, and his individual accolades include a PFA Team of the Year nod, the Premier League Goal of the Month for April 2018 and a FIFPro World XI nomination. Newcastle fans may also remember that he netted a direct free-kick against them in a 3-1 win for Spurs in 2015.

Given that he hasn’t played in so long and is coming back from such a serious medical episode, this would have to be have regarded as a risky move. On the other hand, he would be arriving on a free transfer and, if Newcastle match Brentford’s proposal, on a short-term contract.

Perhaps it’s worth a go.

In other news, Newcastle are plotting an £18m raid on this Premier League club.

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Newcastle United are interested in signing Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris and Monaco left-back Antonio Barreca, according to The Daily Mail.

The Magpies have thus far failed to sign a new player in January, but manager Rafael Benitez is keen to reinforce the club’s squad before the transfer deadline.

What’s the word?

The Magpies are just one place above the relegation zone, two points clear of 18th-placed Cardiff City.

And Benitez is desperate to bring in new blood before the transfer deadline at the end of the week in his side’s bid to avoid relegation, as per The Daily Mail.

According to the aforementioned report, Newcastle have enquired about the availability of Samaris, as they look to strengthen their midfield.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

However, they face competition from Portuguese giants Porto, with Samaris in demand, as per The Daily Mail.

A defensive midfielder, the 29-year-old has struggled for minutes thus far this season, playing just three games in the top-flight, per Transfermarkt.

Barreca, meanwhile, has played seven times for Monaco in Ligue 1, but he has been left out of the club’s squad for their last nine French top-flight games, also according to Transfermarkt.

Easy pickings?

Newcastle have already failed with two recent mooted deals, meaning they are still yet to sign a new player this month.

A loan deal for full-back Jordan Lukaku from Lazio fell through, per BBC, while a mooted move for Gelson Martins never even got to the point of negotiations, as Chronicle Live report that he instead wanted to move to AS Monaco, ironically becoming Barreca’s teammate.

Though they face competition for Samaris, bringing in two players before the deadline may placate Benitez, who is reportedly growing frustrated.

The Telegraph claimed last week that Benitez will quit the club at the end of the season if he is not given two signings between now and the end of the window.

It remains to be seen if whether these deals, even if they’re completed, will be enough to keep the former Liverpool boss around.

With an away trip to face Cheltenham Town at the weekend on the horizon, Sheffield Wednesday are on a rather uninspiring run of form having drawn their three previous League One outings.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at The Jonny-Rocks Stadium, one Owls player that should definitely be in the starting XI on Saturday is 22-year-old midfielder Dennis Adeniran.

Adeniran, who played the full 90 minutes of their 1-1 draw against Lincoln City last weekend, managed to not only score the goal that rescued a point for Darren Moore’s side.

He also managed to complete 26 of the 28 passes (92.9%) he attempted, made one accurate cross, completed two out of the four dribble attempts he made, won ten out of the 18 duels he was involved in and made four interceptions and four tackles, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.5, making him the joint-highest rated Wednesday player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how much of a well-rounded performance he put in for the side in his latest appearance and why we think he should keep his place in the team for the trip to Cheltenham on Saturday.

Also, with Moore claiming that Adeniran would bring “great energy” to the team when they signed him, it seems as though he was right on the money considering how much of an attacking and defensive unit he was for Wednesday against the Imps.

Wednesday signed Adeniran back in July from Everton’s U23 side on a free transfer. Since then, the 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £360k according to Transfermarkt, has made 14 appearances for the Owls across all competitions in which he has managed to rack up three goals and one assist whilst playing in a range of positions on the pitch, highlighting his versatility and why we think he has been a good signing for the club.

For this weekend’s encounter, Adeniran’s inclusion in the starting XI would give Moore’s side to pick up a win rather than yet another draw or even a defeat that could put a dent in Wednesday’s hopes to secure a promotion place back to the Championship by the end of the season.

In other news: Moore must unleash “phenomenal” £1.62m-rated SWFC beast, he could bully Cheltenham – opinion

Manchester United are moving ever closer to appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term successor at Old Trafford with Ralf Rangnick’s interim contract ending shortly.

What’s the word?

Man United have had two primary candidates when considering who to replace Solskajer with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag in the running.

However, it looks as though it will be the latter who wins the race to become their new manager.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein, with the Italian journalist taking to Twitter on Monday evening to reveal the following news:

“Sources close to Erik ten Hag confirm @David_Ornstein report: his appointment as new Man United manager is at final stages. Nothing signed yet – back room staff to be decided. No announcement expected this week. Ajax and Man Utd will be in contact about €2m clause.”

Fans will be buzzing

At long last, the wait now finally appears to be over.

It has been a turbulent campaign for the Red Devils, moving from an outside bet for the Premier League title after signing the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, to a club now who are unlikely to even secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

As a result, to rid the club of those scars and bring in a new manager, especially one as exciting as ten Hag should be incredibly exciting for supporters.

Pochettino has long been admired by the United hierarchy and it was always going to take someone special to leapfrog him in their thoughts.

However, that’s exactly what ten Hag is; special.

The 52-year-old has only ever coached a senior team in the Netherlands so a move to the Premier League, and in particular United, will be an arduous task.

Yet, this only feels positive. The Dutchman was asking for assurances over the amount of say he’d have with incoming transfers and considering he is now close to being appointed, it must mean he is going to play a leading role in proceedings not just in the dugout, but behind the scenes too.

Considering the mess that Man Untied are embroiled in, having a boss with more of a say can only be a good thing for the progression of the club on the pitch.

Combine that with his winning mentality – he has secured two Dutch cups and two Eredivisie titles with Ajax – and this seems like a hire that United have done their due diligence on.

Fans will be elated to finally put this saga to bed.

AND in other news, Ten Hag can become instant hit if MUFC sign £100m “animal” who’s better than Haaland…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is attracting interest in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere Dello Sport (via The Sun), who claim that in a rather big and surprising twist to the player’s future, Jose Mourinho is interested in a deal to bring the 25-year-old to the Stadio Olimpico this month, as the 58-year-old manager believes that the France international’s style of play would suit his Serie A outfit.

The report goes on to state that, although Spurs paid a club-record €60m (£53.8m) fee for the central midfielder only two-and-a-half years ago, Antonio Conte would be willing to part with Ndombele for a figure of around just €30m (£25m) this month.

Conte must axe Ndombele

Considering how much Mourinho criticised Ndombele during his own spell as the Tottenham manager, the news that the Portuguese coach is interested in signing the midfielder for his Roma side will undoubtedly come as something of a huge surprise to many of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful.

Indeed, the 58-year-old coach previously said of the Frenchman: “I have to be honest, Tanguy is the kind of guy that you always expect more from than what he gives me. Because he is so talented that you always expect more. The talent is amazing.

“I think by the talent point of view, by the creation in midfield, by the vision, he is second to nobody in this moment in European football. But the feeling is that he always has more to give, he never reaches the limit of the effort, the sacrifice, even the ambition. So he is the guy I love as a player, but he frustrates me a little bit because I think he can be much better than what he is.”

And, when taking into account how little the 25-year-old has featured under the management of Conte, should Roma indeed be willing to stump up £25m for the central midfielder this winter, the Italian manager simply must sanction his sale.

Indeed, since Conte’s first game in charge of Spurs back in November last year, the £25m-rated man has played just 80 minutes of Premier League football – out of 720 minutes available.

Furthermore, over the three league fixtures these minutes have come in, the £200k-per-week midfielder will have far from impressed the 52-year-old manager, earning extremely disappointing SofaScore match ratings of 5.7, 6.4 and 6.3 against Everton, Liverpool and Crystal Palace respectively.

As such, considering his lack of game time and extremely hefty weekly wage, it would indeed appear wise for Conte to finally call time on Ndombele’s career in North London, as the player who Graham Roberts dubbed a “joke” is simply not worth the money he is costing Tottenham with each passing day.

In other news: “In talks…”: Fabrizio Romano drops teasing Spurs update that will leave fans buzzing

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas will leave Parkhead in the January window, according to journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos.

The Lowdown: Barkas’ Hoops career

It’s safe to say that Barkas hasn’t lived up to expectations in Scotland after joining from AEK Athens for £4.5m in 2020.

The 27-year-old was in and out of the side last season under Neil Lennon, making just 13 Premiership appearances. He hasn’t managed to turn things around this season under Ange Postecoglou, with his only appearance coming against FC Midtjylland.

He hasn’t featured following his blunder at Celtic Park in the Champions League qualifier, and it now seems as if he will leave over the coming months.

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The Latest: Chorianopoulos’ post

Chorianopoulos, a Greek reporter, had his say on the shot-stopper on Wednesday night, revealing that a loan or a permanent exit are both options at this moment in time.

He tweeted: “Vasilis Barkas is about to leave from Celtic on January. On loan or permanent.”

The Verdict: The correct decision…

Celtic brought in Joe Hart over the summer and also have Scott Bain and Conor Hazard sitting around, so shipping out one of the three who aren’t playing is a shrewd call.

Barkas is on £9,000-a-week in Scotland, while Bain and Hazard are on £10,000-a-week combined, so it makes sense to move on the big earner.

Things haven’t worked out in Scotland for the Greek goalie, and the Hoops may face a battle to recoup the £4.5m they paid for his services, especially with his Transfermarkt valuation plummeting since moving to Lennoxtown.

In other news: Nicholson now looking at signing ‘strong’ beast for Ange who ‘would suit playing for Celtic’